Ukraine’s Wins May Spell Trouble for Putin

Ukraine’s lightning military campaign to expel Russian forces from its northeastern Kharkiv region may mark a turning point in the war — and signals a moment of peril for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

For years, Putin cultivated an image at home as the leader who restored Russia’s military might and great-power status after the Soviet Union’s collapse. Those achievements look increasingly threadbare in Ukraine as Russian troops flee in apparent disarray.