Collage by Stephanie Cuenca. Source images: Russian servicemen © Pavel Mikheyev/Reuters/Alamy; map of Ukraine © Aleksandar Ilic/Alamy
The Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24 was a dark day for Europe, but a rare public triumph for American and British spies. After nearly two decades in the doghouse for misleading and often false claims about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, this time, despite the naysayers, they appear to have gotten it right: going to war was Putin’s plan all along. In a stunning new gambit, our leaders spent the months leading up to the invasion broadcasting their intelligence to the world, telling everyone what they knew about what Putin was going to do. Then he did…