Originally Posted by
Big Pistons Forever
The current situation has fundamentally changed. Ukraine is on the offensive and Russia is on the defensive. A defensive position is always easier to maintain over success in offensive operations and favours the Russian strategy of using human cannon fodder to become a physical obstacle to Ukrainian offensive operations. The simple fact is that Russia has a lot of cannon fodder it can call up. A general mobilization could easily produce a million men. Yes they will be poorly equipped and even worse led, but that is a lot of people to kill. As the saying goes quantity has a quality of its own.
The bottom line is Putin is in the position to indefinitely freeze the front lines at the pre-invasion borders.
Another consideration is that Putin is relatively free to pursue a scorched-earth policy with artillery and cruise missiles destroying Ukraine's infrastructure and killing civilians, whether intentionally or as collateral damage.
Ukraine, on the other hand and understandably, has no intention of adopting similar tactics in its attempt to retake Donbas/Crimea, as it would be killing its own citizens, and has at least one hand tied behind its back when it comes to targeting military installations within Russia.
I don't see that imbalance changing in the foreseeable future.