In the case of Ukraine, all Gaul is divided into two parts. There is Kiev and there is Eastern Ukraine. Russia does not have to troops to occupy a 3 million populus urban area like Kiev if Kiev resists. At the outset, Putin gambled that Kiev would fold and not resist. They did. So, he exercised some flexibility to move on to the much easier plan B which is to lock down eastern Ukraine where, unlike Kiev, he has a much more open battlefield and supportive Russian ethnic population. The question is if he is able to lock it down, does he gamble again and start marching on Kiev hoping they will be demoralized enough to sue for peace on his terms to keep him out of there.
I plead ignorance about the internals in the Ukraine.
What you said makes sense, but battles do not always make sense.
Putin may be more calculated than the average leader. He was the accountant within the KGB from what I have read.
I am no fan of Putin. But I am not a fan of the EU and Klauss Schwab and George Soros.
Putin is a nationalist.
The leadership in the Ukraine is in league with our Leftists ho hate the USA and our freedom. They are also fans of the EU.
Not sure which I dislike most.