More Ukrainian + Russians dead/wounded and more money spent on weapons, and you end up in one of the other options anyway.

The only inevitability listed is that Putin can’t live forever. There’s legitimate hope if Russia has a leadership change.

He's 72. Let's say he lives to 87 (average for 1% male income earners). That's 15 more fucking years of death.

Life expectancy of leaders (especially autocrats) is below average for obvious reasons.