“At this point it is clear that Putin has no way to take the major cities.”
I don’t think Russia has a need to “take” the major cities.
They just need to show they could if they wanted to.
And surrounding a major city with 1,000 artillery pieces and 1,000 tanks shows that amply.
I do hope Putin’s generals are as clueless as you are.
Look at how many men it took to take Kiev in 1941 or 1943. The forces Putin is assembling is not a siege. It is an isolated collection of targets.