The unreality of Russian diplomacy and national in the Putin era is said in part to be due to the much-reduced quality of Russia's diplomatic corps and national security community due to the concentration of power in Putin and a small group of yes men. The last thing that such people want is sharp-minded aides and subordinates cataloging errors and looking for an opportunity to act against them.
As it is, the attack on Ukraine has had effects dramatically different from those anticipated by Putin and his circle: Ukraine resisting heroically; the Russian military battered and struggling; NATO strengthened and expanding its membership; and the Russian economy starting to buckle under sanctions.
Putin may look to be solidly in power, but that is how it is with autocrats. They look permanent until one day they are gone due to death, a coup, mass demonstrations, or a flight into exile after a national catastrophe. Which will it be for Mad Vlad?
My mistake on the dates, but that still doesn’t change my position that the US intentionally fomented this war to shut down Nordstream 2 and to thwart any further European economic integration with Russia and Asia. And we played Ukraine in order to do this, leaving their country in tatters.