thanks for the response
This isn't expansionist campaign, it is liberation of Donbas and defense of Crimea. That's why greatrussian chauvinists don't like Putin, they would want empire back and it isn't what Putin do.
sounds like plausible deniability to me tbh. like he really wants more land, but doesn't want to be accused of wanting more land bc he wants to maintain his public image of moderated, highly skilled political strategist, going against the west's bloodlust. so he took the opportunity of ukraine's descent into autocracy to take a little more land while being lauded as a liberator at the same time
i'm not looking into the conflict closely, though, so i might be wrong
i assume that means they live in brazil