told people and it seems to have worked in terms of his rhetoric genetically is that this is not a waragainst ukraine. a stalemate, a war of attrition against a much smaller and theoretically weaker country would be an embarrassing thing, but a war against a west that is hell—bent on the destruction of russia, right, a war that is existential to the survival of russian society, as putin has painted this, is one that really can continue to motivate politics and motivate sacrifice from everybody in the system. for quite some time. in fact, if this were were to end tomorrow, and it would then become clearer that frankly there's not, you know, a whole lot more that can be fought for the moment. then putin is it in a different position, he has to explain what all the sacrifice was for. how key do you think china resin russia's ability to eventually become victorious in this war?