Russia Is Trying to Stop the Expansion

If the Russians are unable to effect a regime change in Ukraine, that's what it means for them to fail. It means that they'll be unable to dislodge America from Ukraine. So right now it's still in the balance. The Russians control about a quarter of what used to be Ukraine. If Mr Putin succeeds in this operation, then he will obviously have to think about who is going to be his successor in the long run.