> Putin losing patience apparently Less about patience, and more about deadlines. Time favors the side thats more ruthless and has the larger logistics network, which is the u.s and its allies. That the u.s. will lose this conflict is foregone. It's not about who *wins* at this point, because no one wins attrition warfare. The only matter to be decided is *will russia ALSO lose*, and if so, will the russians lose *more* than everyone else involved? That depends on how swiftly they act, hence the rush from the beginning.