The Fact that Putin DIDN'T declare war on Ukraine is a very good thing today

Putin could easily have declared war on Ukraine and the Russian People MIGHT have put up with it or not. 

The fact that he did not might mean he is changing his strategy regarding Ukraine in various ways. It's quite possible now that he wants to keep Mariupol and other Eastern Areas if he can any way he can to use them as places to potentially attack other parts of Ukraine in the future. 

So, what this looks like to me is sort of a temporary stalemate between Ukraine and Russia in some ways. Ukraine might want to push Russia completely out of Ukraine but that appears less likely too. So, we might be looking more at something more like the war in Syria or Iraq or Afghanistan in the style that Putin is trying right now. 

I think he is worried he might be assassinated more than anything else because so many people have lied to him about so many many things in his government. So, there might be no one at all he can trust simply because the ones he could have trusted he has already killed or put in prison or poisoned so their loyalty is only now based upon money and power and no other factors. 

Putin is simply too paranoid "sort of like a Drug Lord would be or a Mafiya head would be more than anything else.

There's simply no one powerful left in his government that he can fully trust.

He is in a really awful position that no one would want to be in now that reminds me more of the leader of North Korea more than anything else.

And what has happened to Putin Should give Xi in China pause too because if Xi plays it wrong now this could happen to him or worse in the future.

And what are all the 300 to 400 million presently Locked Down Chinese going to do to the Government of China?

This remains to be seen in the months and years to come too.