I don’t know anything about Putin’s health other than anecdotally he does not look well at times in comparison to years ago.
However, I do know that Russia has a lot of nukes. The idea that they will be defeated in the Ukraine or Crimea seems absurd to me given that Putin has threatened to use them AND it appears that he and his inner circle view Western encroachment as an existential threat to themselves. This is a real threat to Putin maintaining power inside of Russia because he would likely be removed if he loses - that is the history of Russia. He and his inner circle are easy targets given the amount of wealth they have siphoned off from the Russian people.
I hear a lot of “smart” people claiming that threats of nuclear war are nothing more than a “bluff” by Putin, but I am not willing to risk the lives of my children on this. This is an incredibly dangerous game with potential downsides far beyond our imagination.
Why are we not pushing for peace? The human tragedy grows larger by the day, the Ukraine is being decimated and much of its population will not return, and the odds of this limited conflict becoming larger grow exponentially.
What are the risks of allowing nuclear blackmail to succeed? You mention your kids, so, give it a little time...