Introduction

“Wars begin when you will, but they do not end when you please.”
— Niccolò Machiavelli

Russia’s war in Ukraine has long passed the point of strategy. It has become something deeper—an entanglement of survival, ideology, and inertia. For the West, especially the United States, the question lingers: why doesn’t Putin simply end it?

At first glance, it seems irrational. The sanctions, the deaths, the isolation. But from within the Kremlin, withdrawal is not an option. This isn’t just about territory. It’s about regime survival. And in GentEase’s view, it’s about the kind of system that only understands power, not peace.

I. Power Maintained Through Perpetual Conflict 🛡️

Vladimir Putin has built a regime that equates war with legitimacy. Domestically, the war serves as a tool to galvanize nationalism, suppress dissent, and frame Russia as a besieged fortress against the decadent West. Since 2022, over 22,000 Russians have been detained for anti-war protests (Amnesty International, 2024).

Public discourse has been silenced. Russian media is tightly controlled, and dissenting voices are treated not as critics but as traitors.

The cost of peace, for Putin, is not moral—it is existential. A peace deal would raise questions. About failure. About truth. That’s not a reckoning the Kremlin can afford.

II. A War-Fueled Economy 📈

Russia’s economy, though battered by sanctions, has found stability through wartime reconfiguration. In 2024, military spending reached 13.1 trillion rubles, roughly 6.7% of GDP (International Institute for Strategic Studies, 2024).

• Healthcare funding declined by 9.6% in 2023 (Carnegie Endowment, 2024).
• Education budgets remain stagnant.

The defense industry is now the backbone of economic activity. Stopping the war means stopping the machine that feeds the system.

III. Strategic Miscalculations and Military Quicksand 🎯

格式The Kremlin expected Ukraine to fold in weeks. Instead, it met fierce resistance:

• Estimated 320,000 Russian casualties (UK Ministry of Defence, 2025).
• More than 5 million artillery shells used—many sourced from North Korea and Iran (CSIS, 2024).

There is no clear exit. Victory is implausible. Retreat signals weakness. The war now exists in a suspended middle—too costly to continue, too dangerous to end.

IV. Global Isolation—But Not Enough to Matter 🌍

Over 1,200 foreign firms exited Russia post-2022 (Yale School of Management, 2024), yet the country survives through transactional ties:

• Trade with China rose 29% in 2023.
• India is now the largest buyer of Russian crude oil.

The regime has enough oxygen to breathe—but not to evolve.

V. The American Lens 🧩

For Washington, the war presents both risk and opportunity:

• It weakens a major adversary.
• It justifies defense investment.

But collapse could bring nuclear uncertainty, refugee waves, and regional chaos. U.S. policy must walk a tightrope: apply pressure without triggering implosion (Institute for the Study of War, 2025).

VI. GentEase’s Perspective 🧠

At GentEase, we believe in restraint, reflection, and the long view. This war is not just a political failure—it is a psychological trap. For the Russian regime, peace is not an endgame. It is a threat.

Unless the regime collapses or is decisively defeated, Russia will not stop.

Like any man who fears the mirror, it cannot stop the fight—because stopping would mean facing itself.

Conclusion

The question is no longer why Putin can’t end the war—but what kind of Russia would have to exist for the war to end. This conflict is not about borders. It’s about the soul of a regime built on fear, power, and denial.

The West must prepare for a long arc. And for those who value thought over noise, it reminds us: Sometimes, the loudest empires fall the fastest. And silence—real silence—only arrives after truth is spoken.

References

• Amnesty International. (2024). Russia: Dissent silenced under wartime censorship laws. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/01/russia-dissent-silenced-under-war-laws/
• Brookings Institution. (2025). How the war in Ukraine changed Russia's global standing. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/how-the-war-in-ukraine-changed-russias-global-standing/
• Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. (2024). The price of guns over butter in Russia. https://carnegieendowment.org
• Center for Strategic and International Studies. (2024). Russia’s artillery shortage and reliance on rogue states. https://www.csis.org/analysis
• Foreign Affairs. (2025). Putin’s war of survival. https://www.foreignaffairs.com
• Institute for the Study of War. (2025). Russia's internal vulnerabilities. https://understandingwar.org
• International Institute for Strategic Studies. (2024). Military Balance 2024. https://www.iiss.org
• UK Ministry of Defence. (2025). Ukraine intelligence update. https://www.gov.uk/government/ukraine
• Yale School of Management. (2024). List of companies that have left Russia. https://som.yale.edu/story/2022/over-1200-companies-have-curtailed-operations-russia