They are definitely not fucking around with Putin anymore and the plan is to get him out of Ukraine ASAP. I guess the ducks are lined up, enough of Putin's army has been destroyed and it's time to put the dumb fucks out of their misery. This must be rather disheartening for Vlad, watching huge amounts of highly lethal shit flow into Ukraine as his spent army is foundering and spring rapidly approaching bringing doom for the Russians. You only send shit like this if you plan to take ground, lots of it. Bakhmut broke the back of the Russian army and primed them for the coming offensive.