Mobilization is an obvious and full admission of failure by Putin's regime. There is no other way to spin it. Those protests that you see in Russia are pathetic and hugely hypocritical. All those sheep that were sitting quietly and Z-cheering are now suddenly all indignant when it affects them or their children. There was a video where the guy was explaining to the mobilized the schedule. 2 weeks apparently are allocated for "training". After that - one way trip to fertilize Ukrainian fields. No other way to describe it. They will be slaughtered.
Sometimes things are done for moral reasons rather than for personal gain. In fact they can be done despite personal loss. This is a feature of human nature, not to recognize this is to deny your own humanity.
The only way for it to actually "end" is for full revolt in Russia, hanging current administration, massively, from lampposts, asking Ukraine for forgiveness, paying reparations and giving up nuclear weapons. Do I actually think it will happen? No. So - no "end". Will Russia "win"? It has no way to win. None. So - it will continue, with Russian "mobilized" meat being slaughtered in the grinder with superior Western equipment, for years. Until they run out of the meat and will be forced back to their own borders, and become a bigger North Korea, shunned by everyone, under perpetual sanctions, and stewing in their own juices. A variation on that outcome is that some ethnic regions in Russia will refuse to stew in the same stupid pot as the others, will separate, and go their own way.
Your armchair chin music is so sweet. Where's the past record of these good deeds there peiman? Any of the last 50 years of conflicts come to mind that balanced out better than for those 500,000 Iraqi children that Madeline Albright deemed collateral damage in your brand of moral reasons? Please flesh this out for us, so to speak there Mother Teresa.
You are one of the experts here on Russia, so your opinion matters. I think we agree that this war is unwinnable for Russia, and that it is the Russian People who will play a pivotal role in bringing the war to an end. I am interested in your opinion, however, regarding whether those at the top of the Russian military command, with perhaps support from some in the Federation Council and Duma would be likely to step in and prevent Mr. Putin from using chemical or nuclear weapons, as he might try to do, were he pushed to the wall, as it now seems he will be in his hard-headed pursuit of an unwinnable war.
They may do so. Something you may not know, and a lot of people do not know - almost EVERY one of the higher-ups (and by that I don't mean the very top only, but anywhere from city mayors and up) has a son, daughter, grandchildren or mistress living or studying in London, Miami, New York, Paris, Spain, Czech republic or another horrible, decadent, enemy West country. Including Putin's current mistress who is reportedly in Switzerland. Are they going to bomb them? Who knows, but one may hope there is something human left in them yet. As for "it is the Russian People who will play a pivotal role in bringing the war to an end" - I don't think so. I really don't. Any kind of rebellious instinct has been completely bred out of the Russian population. Enormous number of people who had any such instinct have been chased out of the country, or deported, or killed in camps/jails, or just murdered outright. I am not talking thousands. I am talking tens of millions. Any predisposition to rebel has been meticulously bred/murdered out of the population. There is nothing left except the meek acceptance of their fate and the desire for "strong hand" to rule them.
Yeah, that's where The Comedy Club, Including Zelensky and his producers and managers, (look it up) are busy buying tens of millions of dollars in real estate. Switzerland. You guys want to freshen up that Kool Aid or You still working on that last gallon from twenty minutes ago. lol. Sorry Skylers, War It Is A Racket. The Easter Bunny? No, She does not lay colored eggs.
Those who engage in these "what about" arguments haven't given much thought to the difference between making horrible mistakes without acknowledging them and then criticizing others for doing the same, versus acknowledging your past mistakes and changing your behavior going forward. The former is hypocritical behavior; the latter permits you to be critical of others without being hypocritical when they engage in the same behavior that you have learned from experience is wrong and therefore no longer engage in. Furthermore, the mistakes of others can never be used justify our own.