Vladimir Putin has locked himself from the beginning in the narrative of a special military operation in Ukraine. This is the propaganda he has been pushing to the Russian people for months.
The Russian people would not understand that Putin now declares war on Ukraine, a brother country ... Moreover, this would be an admission that Putin has failed in his special military operation, and that he now needs more men to win this war.
If the Russian people give him their consent for a special military operation, there is a strong chance that the Russian people will withdraw it in case of a declaration of war. The Russians do not want to go to war with Ukraine. Putin knows it, so he uses a word that allows him to keep the consent of the people ... Even a bloodthirsty dictator like Putin can not do much without the consent of the people, he knows it!
More untrained and unmotivated men in the field, which would be the result of calling up conscripts for this war, would not change anything to the outcome of this war. Vladimir Putin needs modern weapons, of which he has already almost exhausted his stock. Putin is forced to resort to the stock of weapons dating from the Soviet era.
The situation is much more complex than it seems for the Russian army. Of course, the Russian army has taken 20% of the Ukrainian territory, but it will not go very far, because it is already at the end of its means. If the West continues to support Ukraine massively, Putin will eventually see his army defeated.
