Political analysts made clear years ago that Putin's reason for swinging the sabre is to silence domestic opposition, in the simplistic trick Goebbels codified already in the early '30s: "Enact martial law, start a war, and anyone who opposes you will be called 'unpatriotic, and lose their voice.'"

Putin couldn't care less if he takes all of the Ukraine with no further loss in manpower. He's already achieved the goal of "nobody even breathe a word of dissent now" mood in the Duma. Litterally, an article commented six months ago how quiet every session is today, just Putin rambling a bit, some experts say some rehearsed stuff, and then the session is ended, no body sticking their necks out from the other side of the isle, just content to still be allowed in there.