Commentary Russian leader Vladimir Putin has gotten himself into a strategic hole with his invasion of Ukraine. He is determined to keep digging, that is, sustaining and escalating the war with Kyiv. That is a critical mistake for two reasons. First, as war continues his isolation grows. Second, this leaves him with only one great power ally, China, and so his dependence upon Beijing deepens. Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine is a strategic error. From Putin’s perspective, victory in Ukraine will remove the threat of NATO membership, although that possibility remains if a rump Ukraine survives in some form west of the Dnieper River. Victory will also yield a friendly regime in Ukraine that will be certain to be as closely allied as Belarus under Alexander Lukashenko. Putin will have achieved his aim of recreating a greater Russia. These are tangible advantages despite the costs in Russian and Ukraine dead, …