Really? Interesting. Crimea has the largest natural gas deposit in the world, capable of dethroning Russia but you said it wasn't about that? There's a good explanation for why Russia attacked Ukraina and it definitely has to do with Crimea and what Russians perceive as "existential threat" from the West. Sadly, any Russian president would have done what Putin did.

It's not black and white anymore. I'm just a bystander but instead of looking for alternatives to deascalate, people here want Ukraine to "win" the war by any means necessary while they are probably comfortable and well fed at home.