I do agreee with your heading to some extent, if the US and NATO had acted more assertively and committed to providing weapons and air cover, Ukraine would be in better shape today. The US and NATO were late to respond and that encouraged Russia to launched their war.

Putin calculated the US and NATO response relatively well, but miscalculated how much the Ukrainians want no part of Russia and their bravery has bought them time for the world including US and NATO to respond and that response will ultimately turn Russia if it does not pull back immediately into a second rate nation with a first class nuclear arsenal dependent on China for its existence.

Russia has lost the war, even if the end date is uncertain Ukrainians supported with aide from the west fighting for their independence whether that takes weeks, months, or years will eventually win their country back and will never forget the crimes Russia perpetrated on them.

Articles like this one can try to pretend it is not happening, but the Ukrainian refugees tell a different and far louder story through their grief. The day of colonizing "neighboring countries" is ending (a policy Russia practiced for hundreds of years), Putin may rather than elevating Russia have accelerated its decline.

Russia does not need land, it does need Russians. Every able bodied soldier killed or maimed in this war will take Russia one step closer to a population implosion that will end with its collapse. If Russia were seriously concerned with the people of Donbass, rather than spend the money it has on this war, it would offer them land and a "stake" in Russia. That would have left Russia "richer" not "broken".