I’m not sure how you’re defining cop out. There are rumors the Spetsnaz are part of the problem in Ukraine. Putin is riding high in the Russian popularity polls because he controls the media meaning what information gets to the Russian public.
I am familiar with one family with members in Russia and Ukraine that have been deeply divided by the differing opinions. The ones living in Moscow believe the Russian media while the ones in Ukraine see something completely different. They’ve stopped speaking to each other.
Putin is not going to do anything to back track now. Putin is not powerless. He is disinclined to do anything that directly harms his mercenaries in Ukraine. He may abandon them which may have already happened. He can do that without undercutting his support in Russia since he’s always claimed, in Russia, the mercenaries he recruited and equipped are Ukrainian separatists.