Yeah might be true to some extent. A great loss for Russia..The war Putin launched was a big strategic mistake. I don't know what made him think it will be a good idea. Maybe he overestimated Russia's military strength(thinking Russia could achieve a blitzkrieg victory and the world will need to accept a fait accompli and facts on the ground like he did with Crimea) and underestimated Western military and economic support for Ukraine and also underestimated Ukrainian resolve and patriotism to fight/defend their country. Very big miscalculation which is costing Russia alot now that they are bogged down, its not easy to go back anymore, since he cant admit defeat or pullout like that considering the consequences this might have politically for Russia. Hard to see the best way to get out of there.
Guess opportunity for Russian elites/educated/rich/intellectuals will have to be in the West, Gulf states(many are now settling in UAE/Dublin etc) , and even Turkey(last time i visited Turkey, i saw so many Russians at one point i almost thought i was in a Russian city. ) obviously others will also go to China. Nothing good for Russia in all of this, thanks even more so to that silly war.
You're thinking of Russia as an unitary nation rather than part of a larger alliance.
Russian military strength was not surprisingly strong, but it held up within reason. What was a very big miscalculation was the west thinking they could outlast or even blitz down a well supported Russia economically. When that didn't happen, the primary objective of the war was already secured.
China's objective is relatively peaceful power transfer, from the now proven irresponsible and power abusing west to itself and it's allies. Relatively peaceful defined as no WW3, especially now that America has stepped up its threats to invade China.
To do that, they need to secure vital resource nodes while denying America access to them, downsize the dollar back into a regional currency at best, and induce economic damage to the west. All of this needs to happen slowly, because if it happens overnight, it could trigger desparate "use it or lose it" mentality from America, causing complications and in the worst case WW3.
In light of that, the war in Ukraine is anything but stupid, because it achieves objectives that ultimately saves far more lives than the war itself costs:
1. It delays and disrupts American attempts to build up an invasion force against China in Asia.
2. The resources of Russia and it's associated states will become better controlled by China, allowing China more future flexibility in punishing the west.
3. For the duration of the western economic war on Russia, Russia acts as a constant pump for Chinese currency by using it to trade vital resources, while American currency is made invalid as a purchasing medium for many countries.
4. American focus on Europe allows China to move in into resource rich areas such as Africa and the Middle East with little resistence.
What is in it for Russia? Well, the common people of Russia aren't suffering right now, and they aren't projected to in the near term either. The Kremlin will be able to expand it's territory over resource rich Ukrainian areas, and neutralise the threat of a hostile Ukraine.
Victory in Ukraine will prove Russia as a co-equal ally to China, and all the international status that would be associated with being on the right side of history.
Those who draw the shortest straws (on China's side anyways) are the Russian soldiers, who aren't getting as much heavy equipment support as they can get, because Russia is still doing well enough, and Putin wants to vitalize his own arms industry.
