Putin may have dug his own grave too deep for negotiations over Ukraine to pull him out

A diplomatic end to this war with or without Ukraine joining NATO means Putin joins the ranks of Russian dictators who have lost expensive wars.Next to go historically has been their heads. Putin digs his grave deeper and deeper every time he loses a battle, eventually he will push the people of Russia one step too far. His "partial mobilization" of 300,00 reservists has already led to "mass protests" in Moscow with thousands of arrests. Wonder if these are just protests or something more,like the desperately needed riots? Don't bet on the Washington Post for THAT answer, as what works in Moscow also works in Washington.

Explaining to Russian mothers why their sons won't be coming home is probably getting impossible for Putin, and this is the question that may earn him the fate of previous Russian leaders who have dragged the country into expensive wars ending in defeat. Putin has lost as many Russian soldiers in just 7 months of war as the US lost in all of Vietnam. During THAT war American war resistors burned, blew up, and raided hundreds of draft boards and induction centers. Now Russia is the imperialist of the day, and they are getting the same response. If you supported resistance to invasion in Vietnam, El Salvador, Iraq, and Palestine you should also support it in Ukraine.

We know some Russians who have had enough of Putin are sabotaging rail lines that are known to be used to ferry munitions to the war zone and do not carry passenger trains. We know others are burning conscription centers to the ground with molotov cocktails. These were used before in Russia-to destroy Nazi panzers. Now a different kind of fascist is occupying Russia but the same weapons remain effective.

As for the NATO question,I suspect Putin has forced Ukraine to choose between NATO and himself, and they chose NATO. That is Putin's own doing-and may be his legacy.

As for Putin, he is hard fash, negotiating with Fascists in such a way that they gain ANYTHING by their bullying, threats, and aggression just means they will come back for more. Surely everyone in Ukraine expects this now after first 2014 and then Putin coming back for more in 2022. Ukraine may not be able to seek regime change in Moscow, but Russian antiwar and anti-Fascist activists can and no doubt will.