[inglor_cz]

Contexts are never quite the same. And instead of "cuddlier", I would simply say "more realistic".

It is quite obvious that Russia miscalculated heavily, and someone who wasn't part of the small team that decided to go in, and thus whose face is not at stake, may be more amenable to declaring "OK, our goals have been basically met, let us solve the rest at the negotiation table".

From what I get out of my Russian and Russia-located acquaintances, people are growing tired of this nonsense. Not yet rebellious (though some of the recent actions of the government, like messing with the civilian Internet to the point of unusability, plus mass culling of cows in Siberia, have certainly increased the total level of anger), but dead tired. There is political space to conclude this war, and the reason why it isn't happening is personal.