But, now that we are at war, I think there is no way Putin is prepared to lose. Actually, this sense is rather broadly shared by the Russian people as well. Those who conduct focus groups these days say that this is a very common perception. Whatever people think about the war — whether they are more supportive, less supportive, undecided, maybe not even very interested, or rejecting the disquieting information — the majority agrees that we cannot lose, that once we’re at it we should be winning. Russia cannot lose this war. They rally around the leader. They rally around their country.