Since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine 15 months ago, the West, with the United States at the lead, has provided Kyiv with increasingly sophisticated—and costly—weapons.
First, it was HIMARS rocket launchers, then advanced battle tanks and, most recently, American-made Patriot air-defense systems.
Each time, the new weapons were touted as “game-changers,” sure to turn the tide of battle in Ukraine’s favor.
But this hasn’t happened. Russia remains in control of most of the Donbas region—the primary target of its invasion—along with Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. 
Two U.S.-made F-16 fighters in the air during an scramble take off at the eastern Hualien air force base on Jan. 23, 2013. (Sam Yeh/AFP/Getty Images)
Last week, Moscow declared that its forces had captured the strategic town of Bakhmut—a fact that the Western media has now grudgingly recognized….