Who would have been chosen by Prager because he fits the narrative Prager wants, in the same way the “experts” that MSNBC and Fox trot out always seem to toe the company line. It’s actually a really interesting discussion if you dig into it, but it’s not really relevant for this thread, so I’ll let it go. The larger points I agree with anyway.
The people obviously value human life (certainly their own), but the current leadership does not. Putin worships Stalin and considers him to be Russia's greatest modern (wartime) leader, and that's why he rehabilitated Stalin's reputation at the start of this invasion. He just didn't realize that the war would take so long and that the sacrifices that Russia would have to make would be so significant for a non-existential war.