You can't know so it's useless to say it was better or worse. If not, I can tell you that then Loverboy was worse than Paul, because then Leora chose to stay with Paul. It has the same value.
Then again, Paul had already planned before the war in Ukraine to come to Prague. Between the COVID pandemic, Paul's other relationship and the war, things obviously got messed up and it took longer. Even if (IF) he had left Russia to avoid being drafted into the army I don't see where the problem is. Not everyone wants to die in a senseless war.