@TrevorGoodchild for sure, and of course historically we have examples of elites doubling down on poor ideas, and the idea of sunk cost fallacy exists.

But I think it's easy to over ascribe your enemies doing stupid stuff when there is a missing motivation.

With Ukraine I think the inability for them to de-escalate is a combination of corruption at the top where they are making money hand over foot by taking the international aid money, belief that NATO really does have their back and a decade of conditioning that Russia are Nazis who are going to rape and murder through their country.