Putin's annexation programme is doomed to fail

When Putin annexed Crimea in 2014 he did it without a prolonged war. In fact not a shot was fired. Today is different. He has annexed four provinces in easten and southern Ukraine even though he hasn't yet occupied and conquered them, and shots are very much being fired - by Ukraine with US-supplied heavy artillery. I wonder if Putin sees the difference here. He is annexing territory which at this moment in time is being seized back by the Ukranian military. So the annexation is not only illegal, it is meaningless and someone should tell Putin that eastern and southern Ukraine are not like Crimea. Putin has made a fool of himself and if there are people with brains and a bit of courage in the Kremlin, they should whisper in his ear, "Mr President, Russia is a mockery in the eyes of the world, it is time to call this whole thing off".