Planting seeds for the next generation, so that even if Russia loses this round, they will just come back later.
If Russia continues to be isolated, the next generation will be fed the kind of “stabbed in the back” crap that the Germans were fed after WWI, and we all know what that led to.
Great points. A new strongman will emerge, promising to restore their former glory, instead of just hinting at it. They certainly have the resources, and if the West continues its current decline...