At 4:15 a.m. on Feb. 24, 2022, explosions jolted Kyiv awake. Russia had launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine from Belarus in the north, from Russia in the east, and from occupied Crimea in the south. The capital of Kyiv was the primary target.

Moscow’s plan was to seize Kyiv within three days, kill Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and install a government loyal to the Kremlin. The Kremlin expected Zelensky to flee or quickly die, his government to collapse, and Ukrainians to offer little resistance. Some Russian units were reportedly issued dress uniforms in anticipation of a victory parade on Kyiv’s central Khreshchatyk Street.

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None of that happened.

Ukraine’s military had spent the preceding weeks silently repositioning weapons and personnel away from likely strike targets. The initial Russian air campaign, designed to destroy Ukrainian air defenses and sever military communications,........

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