If northern Ukraine was not Putin’s objective then he certainly wasted a lot of Russian lives, weapons and prestige for nothing.
Putin lost men, tanks, planes, and all credibility. He is a laughing stock and a butcher.
At the same time he got nothing in return. The troops which “withdrew” (better: ran away) have to go back to Russia and then be re-grouped and transported to the front in the East and South. The Ukrainians can still use the “shortcut” though their own country.
If this was a diversion, it must have been the most lousy one that ever somebody came up with.
Taking Kyiv and decapitating the Ukrainian government was one of putin’s stated goals.
Putin failed
Expanding on the above.
Putin failed to take Kyiv so he is trying to say “I never wanted it at all”.
As the war started Russia put most of its might behind the push to Kyiv. Remember the convoy? The paratroopers? The intense streetfighting? Russia committed more forces to Kyiv than to the South. Russia’s goal was 100% to take Kyiv.
Tactically Russia has been a complete failure from any objective standpoint. They failed to take air superiority, they’ve taken massive losses, they’ve used their tanks like idiots, they’ve fallen apart logistically, and they are losing ground to armed civilians.
I’m supposed to believe that a military incapable of using basic military tactics on the ground while also believing Russia is employ some grand military stratigem that tricked the entire world? Ya right
In the 15th tale from Aesop, written in the 8th century BC
a hungry fox comes across some grapes high on the vine. The fox jumps to get them, but it’s too high. It tries to climb the vines, but falls to the ground. The fox then looks at the grapes again and says “Hey, these aren’t even ripe. I don’t want to eat sour grapes anyway” and leaves.
Putin has sour grapes.