Why Did Putin Gamble Russia's Wealth, Power Over Ukraine?

Every day that his army's grueling, bloody slog toward Kyiv continues, an increasingly isolated Russian President Vladimir Putin risks more of his soldier's lives, his country's treasure, and his own regime's viability – leading many observers to wonder how the infamously strategic Putin calculated that the costly invasion of Ukraine would be worth it.

The Kremlin's global reputation has crumbled in the days since Russian troops entered their neighbor's territory on Putin's premise that Russia could not feel "safe, develop, and exist" due to an ongoing threat from modern Ukraine.