IMO Z is more a NATO (ie: US) puppet rather than a mug but of...

IMO Z is more a NATO (ie: US) puppet rather than
a mug but of course while the US egged-on Z to
legislate NATO & EU membership as soon as he was elected
in full knowledge that this would mean Russia doing
a Georgia on the Ukraine.

Of course there are 2 winners:
-US short term in weakening the EU as it sees as socialist,
specifically weakening Germany (the EU economic engine)
expanding NATO, weakening the Euro (Greenback competitor)
and weakening Russia economically so that it cant afford to
maintain its Nuke arsenal let alone upgrade it.
In the long term, however , this war has accelerated the demise
of the USD global reserve status

-China is the big winner in both the short and long term
because its buying cheap oil and gas from Russia and
it is cheaply accessing other Russian natural resources

This war as well as the Israeli/Gaza war is occupying the
USA/CIA .taking focus off China.

Solution:
(a) Ceasefire
(b) negotiated peace

IMO , except for Boris who, (IMO was acting on behalf of the USA),
sunk the peace negotiations in May 2022, a ceasefire & negotiated
peace could have been achieved then saving 100,000s of lives,
millions of refugees and at least a $trillion of property and economic
harm.

In Geopolitics decisions are ultimately judged on outcomes; not on ideology
or intent.