Could Russia Lose This Whole War?

As the war in Ukraine moves into its next, possibly decisive phase, the big question is whether the Russian army will perform as disastrously as it did in the war’s first phase.

The fight for control of Donbas—Ukraine’s easternmost region, just across from Russia’s border—should be an easier go for Vladimir Putin and his generals than was their initial aim of capturing the entire country and ousting President Volodymyr Zelensky from Kyiv. Still, many thought the Russians would accomplish that feat in a few weeks or even days, too.

Instead, Russia’s...