you may want to stop watching the legacy MSM.

False.

I notice you like to use a lot of mainstream sourcing, which is a problem given that they are no better than the neocons. But since you like them..

Stoltenberg himself admitted to why this all started here. Russia actually has not broken any actual law, and no one is trying to press that issue because then it would call into question the legalities of NATO actions such as in Libya, and shine some light on US actions in the past. But they have to build that narrative, despite no one trying to step in directly.

Russia has been walking a tightrope in accomplishing its stated goals with the special military operation, and not going so far as to invite direct involvement of NATO or the US, yet. Russia has been fighting the war mainly with Reservists and Wagner.

This is not because Russia is weak. It's what the US has done throughout the war on terror. Small special forces groups, PMCs, and Reservists. You're also forgetting or dismissing that for the vast majority of Russians, Ukrainians are brothers, and they're not looking to wipe out the Ukrainians like Western media wants you to believe. They've been holding back. Of this I am sure.

You're under the impression that Russia is buying artillery munitions from NKorea as a sign of weakness. It has already been producing its own artillery shells at a record pace, double what Western allies can produce. They have the capacity to boost production to over 2 million rounds, and have signaled that it's doing just that for 2024. But as Reuters would have you believe, this is still "short" of Russia's needs. But, how does Reuters know that? They don't. they're just talking out fo their asses. Because they have always needed to help sell people on this war. Russia can expand capacity to more than 2 million annually, after they took a page from our book with the Defence Production Act.

I believe Russia buying artillery shells from NKorea and Iran is a move to bolster BRICS relations. It's quite possible the "I" in BRICS was always Iran, after all. Showing their willingness to trade, and also showing that Western sanctions don't work when business isn't conducted in dollars.

Russia achieved its stated SMO goals with the Donbass, along with the demilitarization of Ukraine, and has now pivoted into a war of attrition, which is what NATO was hoping to achieve against Russia, but now find themselves on the receiving end. Russia has no need to rush. This was proven when NATO allowed them time to bolster their lines, and the Ukrainian counter-offensive failed. it failed so miserably that contrary to what your mainstream sources needed to report to maintain positive public opinion for the war, the counter-offensive never even made it to Russia's main defensive lines.

If you go and read the transcripts from the NATO summit in Vilnius earlier in the year, reading between the lines it's plain to see that most European leaders are losing their stomach for this war, facing protests at home over rising energy and food costs. They changed the conditions for Ukraine to join, stating that it now must defeat Russia first. A clear signal that they're looking for the offramp, and the events in Israel may give them just that as the US pivots to supporting its main ally in the ME. Russia sees this and is no no hurry now, while Ukraine is looking to be all but abandoned in favor of Israel, Europe is unable to really commit to fighting wars as it deindustrializes (as well as losing capital and facing an energy crisis), and U.S., European officials broach topic of peace negotiations with Ukraine

I don't see peace negotiations even being suggested, or the terms of Ukraine's admittance into NATO being changed if Russia is losing, or even close to losing.