The territory of Ukraine was never the final objective - Putin really wants to force NATO into an untenable position in regards to further expansion of members. While it would be “nice” to be able to exploit the Ukraine resources, the Ukrainians are a very fractious people, and occupying the territory would be as much a disaster for the Russian Federation as the occupation of Afghanistan was for the Soviet Union.
The game might not be worth the time, treasure and military assets that would have to be expended to effectively control the Ukraine.
I think thereâÂÂs a flaw in your logic. NATO is top heavy. Too many industrialists and bankers and not enough soldiers. Expanding NATO to the eastern block fixes that problem. Ukraine and Poland are full of quality soldiers that are badly needed by NATO.