This is why I don't think the West can ever just walk away from this war: too many institutions have invested too much of their credibility into fighting it.
Major satellite imaging providers have edited their products to hide damage to Ukrainian facilities. Every single mainstream reporting outlet has run a version of "Russians on the run, say experts." The Daily Mail published a crude deepfake to support the claim of North Koreans in Kursk.
The net result of this is a population that does not think Ukrainian defeat is even possible, let alone probable.