Another example of the weapons continuing to pour into Ukraine, they now have a lot of western vehicles, artillery, rocket systems and a ton of support stuff like drones and counter battery radars, even additional Soviet era stuff is showing up from allies. Russia is doomed in Ukraine, and we are seeing plenty of signs of desperation from Moscow as their army collapses on the battlefield. They won't soon forget this thrashing and if they come back again it will go far worse a lot faster for them, if they do come back, it won't be under Czar Vlad, he will be dead or locked up. Anybody like him won't have any more luck, even if they pull out of Ukraine.
The price Russians pay for clinging to an empire is their freedom, because a liberal democracy would mean dissolution of the federation, without the FSB and internal security police enforcing rule from Moscow. Vlad's political party will also have to go or become just another party like the others. Some republics would go their own way, if only to get out from under sanctions. Belarus would be liberal democratic too and the cultural influence of them and Ukraine on Russia would be huge. Only cultural change can lead to political change in Russia and the military can't be reformed until the culture and government are reformed.
