In the first two decades after it became an independent nation following the breakup of the Soviet Union, Ukraine was a relatively small country on the geopolitical map. It had no military to speak of. After living under the yoke of Soviet communism for seven decades, Ukrainians simply wanted to enjoy some of the freedoms that Westerners are privileged to have.

Vladimir Putin would have none of that idea. In his view, Ukrainians becoming a free and prosperous people through any association with the West would threaten his sleep. That only partially explains his motivation, though. His most important goal has always been to subjugate Ukraine and make it a part of a reconstituted imperial Russia. In pursuit of that main objective, he set out to undermine Ukrainian democracy, and ultimately ordered a full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022.

Since the invasion and the war that followed, Ukrainians have displayed a level of ingenuity that has stunned the world. They have built a military that is now considered one of the most powerful on the planet. Some of the weapons they have produced are now terrorizing Russian cities, including Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Ukraine is not just taking the fight to Russia. It is now partnering with multiple rich countries to manufacture the weapons systems it has developed. Even the mighty U.S.A. has entered into an agreement to manufacture Ukraine’s drone boats here in America, as reported in a recent Wall Street Journal article. Those unmanned surface vehicles (USVs), also known as sea drones, have destroyed many Russian ships in the Black Sea and beyond. All indications are that over the next few years, Ukraine will become a conventional military superpower, or close to it.

As I read the WSJ article about the sea drones and various Ukrainian weapons, and their sophisticated capabilities, I kept wondering how much Putin now regrets creating such a hydra-headed monster on his doorstep. His forces are completed stalled on the frontlines. Multiple reports say that over 30,000 Russian troops are now being killed each month. Total Russian casualties since the invasion are estimated at well over 1.5 million.

It is true that several hundred thousand Ukrainian soldiers and civilians have also been killed or wounded in the war. But they have died or sustained injuries while bravely defending their country. How does Putin explain his staggering number of casualties?

Trapped in the quagmire he created for himself, and left with no options, Putin has ordered his forces to fire ballistic missiles at civilian buildings in cities across Ukraine. His aim is to sap the will of the population. Those senseless killings have only strengthened Ukrainian resolve.

Ukraine has become everyone’s darling here in the West. After he was sworn into office as the new British prime minister, Andy Burnham placed his first call to U.S. President Donald Trump. Mr. Burnham’s very next call was to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The new British leader pledged his country’s continued support for Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression.

In stark contrast, today, Russia has no meaningful friends to speak of. North Korea and Belarus are not exactly the kinds of allies that impress anyone. Putin likes to tout his “no-limits friendship” with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. That is laughable. Mr. Xi sees the relationship in purely transactional terms.

After Russia lost its primary natural gas market in Europe with the invasion of Ukraine, Putin pivoted to China. Since 2019, Russia has exported natural gas to China through the Power of Siberia 1 pipeline. To supply more gas to China, the Russians have proposed to build a second pipeline, Power of Siberia 2. That project has stalled, however, because China is holding out for better prices and more favorable terms than what Russia has offered.

Before his official visit to China this past May, Putin is said to have placed Power of Siberia 2 at the top of his priority list. He desperately wanted the agreement signed so construction could begin on the project. However, senior Chinese officials reportedly told their Russian counterparts not to bring up the pipeline issue at the leaders’ meeting unless the terms and prices had been appropriately amended to satisfy China’s demands. Putin ended up returning to Moscow empty-handed.

This is Russia’s hour of greatest need. This is when a true friend would show up to lend a hand. But China is nowhere to be found. All Putin has done is turn Russia into a vassal state of China, and the Chinese seem to be taking full advantage.

In the current war between Ukraine and Russia, my sympathies are naturally with Ukraine, given my association with the country and the illegality of the Russian invasion. But, as I have written many times, I have many Russian friends. I want the best for them and their families. Sadly, they are saddled with a leadership whose actions are doing nothing but long-term damage to their nation.

In any normal country, the population would rise up against a leadership that is causing such ruin. Russia, unfortunately, is not a normal country. Somehow, its people have been conditioned to suffer in silence. I pray that something wakes them up soon.