—> and are actually clearly winning,
I would disagree based on the permanent loss of territory. So far they’ve lost 1/4 their country containing $1 trillion of mineral and energy resources - which I can’t objectively call anything but losing bigly.
Once the remaining sea ports and coastline are gone, ukraine will be a landlocked country that must import energy and raw materials overland. They will be a shadow of their former economy - which was anemic.
The PR effort has been strong, but I think Russia played this right.
The coast and all the sea ports to be taken by the Russkies who have played thus just right, eh? I have in my possession screenshots of Russkie mil bloggers boasting that Ukraine’s military was paralyzed and that Kyiv would be surrounded in 4 days.
After six months of such constant boasts, you would think even the dumbest FR Putinist would stop with such predictions.