Problem is that if he looks weak then his whole schtick is that he isn't.
I would assume the plan would be that Ukraine folds like paper and the West cowers like old ladies hiding under their beds. Plus how is Putin going to create a puppet Ukrainian state now?
Instead Ukraine is still fighting, and the West is openly supporting Ukraine and places like Poland and Finland are now angry and openly Finland is talking about joining NATO.
It's gone horribly wrong and even the most optimistic Russian assessment must see that.
There wasn't supposed to be any fighting and the West wasn't supposed to be united and now totally opposed to you.
What's worse you have highlighted that from a conventional warfare standpoint, you ain't all that. So yeah taking on NATO is an extremely hollow threat.
My goodness, the Russians have screwed up. And they didn't need to and didn't have to.