The main reason why the West (and by that I mean BOTH mainstream and critical West) is getting Ukrainian war entirely wrong is because it's getting Putin entirely wrong. But, since Putin had indeed initiated Ukrainian war, then correct understanding of his actions and motivations might be required in order to stop the war and fix this shit once and for all. There are two dominant perceptions of Putin in the West, but BOTH are false, however.
The first one is the one pushed by Western political establishment and mainstream media - that Putin is a 'war criminal, 'genocidal maniac', Hitler 2.0. obsessed with territorial greed and ready to slaughter everyone to satisfy this greed. Even if there might be some seeds of truth in that (that is, Putin is certainly a war criminal), overall it's a toxic and very harmful exaggeration the whole purpose of which is to justify a perpetual war and slaughter in Ukraine ('cause, if Putin is such a monster indeed, any negotiations with him are useless, 'appeasing the dictator' will only serve to increase his territorial greed, etc., hence to continue pouring billions of Western taxpayers' money into military support of Ukraine is 'the only way'). In truth, however, perpetual slaughter in by default unwinnable war in Ukraine (because nuclear weapons) is certainly NOT the only way, and not even the best one. Moreover, this distorted perception of Putin as of an arch villain, Sauron of our age, prevents us from understanding who Putin really is, why is he doing what he's doing, and, hence, how he could be stopped. And we need this understanding, again.
The second most popular Western approach to Putin is popular among critical thinkers and 'awakened red-pilled opposition', e.g., smarter part of Western population than gullible establishment dummies. That's why this approach pretends to be more nuanced one, but in truth it's not, it's just tribalism and false dichotomy. The essence of it is that Putin in truth is an opposition to globalism and Wokeism which plague the West, and to Western imperialism and neo colonialism as well, and as such, he isn't that bad guy. Hence, some of those 'critical thinkers' even go as far as to whitewash Putin from his war crimes in Ukraine for the 'greater good'. Sounds familiar by the way? Sigh.
In truth, this approach is even MORE incorrect than the first one, and much more harmful. Again, ONLY Western people who have no idea what Putin was doing in Russia all those years and is still doing there, might seriously believe that this 100% WEF agent is a real opposition to 'globalism'. Again, Putin knew Klaus Schwab since early 90s, graduated from WEF 'Young Global Leaders' school together with Frau Merkel, and then Schwab installed him into Kremlin to begin with. Since then Putin was (and STILL IS!) pushing ALL the WEF globalist shit which was pushed down on us in the West.
That is, Putin pushed draconian lockdowns and fascist vax mandates during COVID scamdemic, and even more brutally than in most Western countries. Putin pushes for digital currency (digital ruble is being tested by Russian biggest bank Sber currently) and digital ID. He pushes even for climate carbon scam using Siberian man-made (due to negligence) forest fires as a pretext for it. ALL globalist agenda is being implemented in Russia too. Putin is certainly NOT an opposition to globalism.
What's about Putin's opposition to Wokeism and Western imperialism? Yeah Putin opposes Western Woke ideology but ONLY to push his own Vatnik 'traditional values' ideology which in truth is a morbid mix of Communism and Tsarism with sprinkles of both Islam and Orthodox Christianity. It's equally oppressive, illiberal and toxic ideology as Wokeism, and CERTAINLY NOT an antidote to it. It's other side of the same evil coin.
Yeah, perhaps Putin opposes Western imperialism but ONLY to push his OWN 'Russia-centric' imperialism instead. And I'm not sure why do you believe that Russian imperialism is in ANY WAY better or more benign than say American one. For example, Ukrainians and most nations bordering Russia would certainly disagree with you on it. Either way, to root for one form of imperialism instead of another, same as for one toxic ideology instead of another is delusion and NOT a solution.
If seeing Putin as just a genocidal maniac or opposition to globalism Wokeism and Western imperialism are BOTH equally wrong, then which approach to Putin is a correct one? The ONLY correct approach is to see Putin for who he really is - just another WEF agent, and another side of the same diabolic globalist coin instead of a real opposition. This approach would help you to explain all Putin's actions just perfectly, and to find a correct way to resist him as well.
I already explained why Putin is 100% WEF asset, and I even shared links to prove it before as well. But what does this knowledge give us? How should we approach Ukrainian war knowing that Putin is just another WEF puppet?
Well, first of all, since Putin is a WEF agent, he'd most likely started Ukrainian war at WEF bidding, which makes this war a scam just like COVID plandemic was (and very timely it started, STRAIGHT after COVID scam ceased to work due to Omicron, and Freedom Convoy protests against COVID tyranny had started globally). Indeed, taking into account that all Putin's proclaimed goals of war are pretty vague, and that as a consequence of Putin's war Russia and Russians were largely fucked (Nord Stream 2 was frozen, same as billions of Russian reserves, NATO expanded +1000 km to Russian border via Finland, Russophobic fascism and visa bans for Russian people had risen in the West, etc.), it makes the hypothesis of clown Ukrainian war even more plausible. Also, since this war is unwinnable by default, it could last as long as its WEF perpetrators need (potentially forever). So, we have a scam money-laundering war, unwinnable by default, which is ARTIFICIALLY PROLONGED to launder more money and to bring more chaos and division.
Knowing that, how could we end this war? Well, first of all we need to DROP FOR GOOD a toxic WEF propagated notion that 'solution on the battlefield' is the ONLY possible solution. Since this war is unwinnable, there could be NO solution on the battlefield. Ukraine will NEVER win (same as Russia). Moreover since this war is a money-laundering scam, to keep supporting it with your money means giving MORE money to WEF scammers who would use them against you, have no doubt of that. Hence, it's in Western people best interest to STOP supporting this scam war with their money. It's a first step.
But then Ukraine will fall and Putin would get more land and no punishment, war hawks would screech. First of all, NOT necessarily. If Putin does indeed act on WEF bidding (and I'm 100% sure he is), his WEF masters won't let him take the whole Ukraine, and Crimea and Eastern Ukraine were lost to Kiyv LONG before Putin's invasion, let's face it. Second of all, even if Ukraine 'will fall', SO WHAT? Why should it be a primary concern of American, British and Canadian citizens who would govern Crimea and Donbass - Kremlin or Kyiv? Because Putin would then 'attack further' into Europe? WHERE exactly tell me please, when 'further into Europe' it's almost all NATO land, and attack on NATO is equal to total nuclear annihilation of the world? Stop buying this naive fearmongering! EVEN Putin won't do such a crazy thing.
As for Putin getting no punishment..Well here as a Russian I agree with you - I pretty much WANT Putin punished too. I'm pissed off at this monster lying, murdering, stealing, scamming and abusing his own people for 24 years in a row, and STILL GETTING AWAY WITH IT! So I pretty much WANT to get him punished. However, do YOU have a REALISTIC WAY OF DOING IT? Because this far two years of Ukrainian war and Western sanctions against Russia did NOTHING to harm or even slightly inconvenience Putin. War and sanctions harmed ONLY regular innocent people - Russian, Ukrainian, European ones...So why exactly do you think MORE war and sanctions would change that and 'finally bring Putin to his end'? There are no real grounds for this belief, alas.
Then please do tell me, when continuation of this war ONLY serves to slaughter innocent Russian and Ukrainian people, to bring more waste and destruction to Ukrainian land, more chaos and division to the world up to energy and food chain crisis, and to launder more Western taxpayers' money in addition while doing NOTHING to stop Putin, WHY do you think we should continue supporting this clown war? No reasons whatsoever.
By the way, if Putin had indeed started this war on WEF behalf - and I'm sure he did - then he has NO GOALS of his own in Ukraine. All his goals are WEF ones. And WEF wants EXACTLY perpetual war which brings more chaos and new crisis and gives them money and power. Thus, to finally END this war would fuck up WEF and also Putin's goals. So if you really WANT to fuck their goals up, ALL THE MORE REASONS for you to end this war asap - e.g., to STOP supporting it with your money so it would die out on its own.
Moreover, I actually believe that Putin doesn't really need ANYTHING from Ukraine - neither new land (save Crimea perhaps which he took first back in 2014 already since he REALLY needed it!), nor 'denazification and demilitarization'. All those were just excuses to justify WEF ordered war before his Vatnik supporters in Russia.
More particularly, I don't think Putin would really mind even Ukraine joining NATO. What, NATO would be on Russian border then? Well it already IS via Finland, and he doesn't care. Neither Putin cares of 'Ukrainian Nazis'. It was just a convenient boogieman for Russian Vatniks and as such they are very beneficial for Putin - hence, he doesn't really want to 'denazify' Ukraine.
Neither Putin cares of Russian minority in Eastern Ukraine like in Donbass. If he REALLY did, he would have taken Donbass into Russia back in 2014 along with Crimea and NO ONE could have stopped him back then. But Putin just provoked Donbass to separatism back then, thus making it a legitimate target for Ukrainian military for years to come, so he could use those Ukrainian attempts to get Donbass under its control again as a pretext for his invasion. But he does NOT care of Donbass and its people. I'm not sure Putin would even bother to rebuild Ukraine after the war if he'd get its Eastern parts - rather he'd leave it a waste as it is now.
Hence, Putin does NOT have his own goals in Ukraine, however counterintuitive it might sound. He obeys WEF ones here, and WEF main goal is to have a PERPETUAL MONEY-LAUNDERING WAR in Ukraine. Hence, the BEST way to spoil both WEF and Putin's plans - to END THIS FUCKING WAR ASAP.