Putin intends to inflict as much damage on Ukraine as possible because he knows that the US in the western NATO alliance will pick up the tab for cleaning up the mess after the fact. The destruction that he does today weakens his enemy and strengthens him.

If you were surprised by the scale of his invasion or the level of destruction you probably assumed that he wanted to control the country and keep it. He doesn’t. He will destroy the country, send a powerful message to NATO, and withdraw on his own terms at a time of his choosing.