Yep, there it is; the offensive has bogged down in urban areas, because offensives always bog down in urban areas and people always start wars thinking they'll win in no time.

And when swift territorial gain becomes a slog which looks terrible in the news, the politicians and their pet media either work extra hard trying to sell the war or they pipe down about it as it grinds on for years. At this point I can't say "Putin's going to lose power over this," and there's a chance this may go back to simmering.

But I worry a lot about the protesters. It's key to a war like this that the politicians insist the entire populace loves them and that any who object are the weird far left, and between that and the usual careful regard police anywhere have for human bodies, rights and dignity, there are a lot of Russians who are not safe right now.