Putin doesn't believe he can win in Ukraine outright, or what would be his option if he couldn't win. The most dangerous thing for Putin would be to end the war and let the head of the Wagner group stay on the job. If I were an evil dictator, I didn't care about anybody but myself, I would make sure the Wagner group was at least taken down by half before I ended the war. "I just assume Putin would do what I would do because it seems smart"