Why are they willing to sacrifice Crimeans living there? Do they want all of the former Ukraine to be a wasteland?
Scorched earth is nothing new in Crimea. Russia did it 80 years ago.
Of course, if Russia ends the war and leaves peacefully then no more Russians will need to die.
98% of the people living there (the vast majority Russian) want to be in Russia and don’t matter to them. Their own population doesn’t matter to them.