Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky gave a tearful interview this week. "Every day, you understand, there are people found in barrels and cellars, strangled," he said. "Indeed, this is a genocideThe annihilation of a people, either through killing of its members, or through the suppression of its culture.."

Zelensky was visiting the city of Bucha, which had been occupied by Russian forces. When Ukrainians recaptured it they discovered that about 300 civilians have been killed.

What do these grim discoveries mean for the conflict in Ukraine? For one thing, they are evidence of crimes against humanity.

They may also say something about the aims of Russian president Vladimir Putin. Some experts say that he does not want Ukraine or Ukrainians to exist. 

An article published this week in the Russian state news agency gives an insight into how Russian leaders justify the war. It falsely states that Ukraine has become "Nazified". Calls for "European development" and "independence", the article says, are in fact an attack on Russians and Russian speakers living in Ukraine.

The article says that Russia should wage a brutal war against Ukraine, and then occupy it for 25 years.

Putin has not said anything this extreme. But he has said some things that sound quite similar.

In February Putin gave a speech about the historical relationship between the two countries. "Ukraine is not just a neighbouring country for us," he said. "It is an inalienable part of our own history, culture and spiritual space."

Putin believes that Ukraine became a separate country as a result of a historical accident. He does not believe it should be a separate country.

Putin's version of history is wrong, says historian Timothy Snyder. "Ukraine has its own distinct and fascinating history," he says, "and Ukrainians have as much a right to a future as anyone else."

But Putin's account may explain Russia's pitiless treatment of Ukrainians. He sees them as a threat to the idea of Russia.

"There is no Ukraine," he said in 2020. Some experts believe that this reflects his real goals.

Yes: Putin's beliefs and ambitions cannot survive contact with hard realities, however uncompromising they are. This war is costing Russia heavily in military and economic terms, and at some point he will have to seek peace.

No: An absolutist worldview like Putin's permits no compromise. Russia's aggressive and expansionist behaviour will only end once he is removed from power.

Or... No wars last forever and there are too many variables to confidently predict what path this one will take. But whether or not there is a peace settlement, Putin's aggression has already undermined peace and stability in Ukraine and beyond.