“Once they have won their war they will have to build and maintain a powerful military”
Good point. The likely end goal of this is Ukraine in NATO with a large, experienced, and motivated army armed with Western tech. For a couple generations they can keep Russia in check.
Ironically Russia looks like its war will be the cause of the imagined future that Putin launched this war to prevent.
“The likely end goal of this is Ukraine in NATO with a large, experienced, and motivated army armed with Western tech.”
De Facto, they are there now.