Top Russian general reveals Putin’s worst fears as Ukraine attacks Kursk again

The Russian Defense Ministry may believe its forces are “defeating” Ukraine’s counteroffensive in the Kursk region, but Vladimir Putin clearly doesn’t think so.

He has sent one of his toughest generals to organize the fight against Ukraine’s surprise counteroffensive on Sunday morning.

General Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, promoted by Putin in December 2024 and put in charge of Russia’s border defense and mercenary projects in Africa, arrived in Kursk less than a few hours after Ukrainian tanks began rumbling toward Russian positions .

By sending General Yevkurov to Kursk, Putin showed his hand.

Although it is still unclear how successful the Ukrainian counteroffensive will be, he is visibly concerned.

Countering Ukraine’s advance into Russia’s southern Kursk region in August 2024 has become a priority project for Putin before Donald Trump is sworn in as US president on January 20, 2025 and pushes through a peace deal. Starting negotiations with Ukraine, which still clings to Russian territory, including small parcels, will weaken Putin.

Volodymyr Zelensky knows this. The Ukrainian president may have calculated that applying pressure in Kursk is his best option as his forces are being pushed back along the main front.

If his forces can push back the Russian soldiers in Kursk and hold the captured territory for another two or three weeks, Mr. Zelensky may feel he can strengthen his negotiating position.

But for Mr Zelensky there is still much more at stake. Kursk’s counteroffensive on Sunday could be his last throw.

Since the war began in February 2022, Mr. Zelensky had staked his presidency on an unwavering determination to defeat Russia on the battlefield.

His language has softened since the summer, when it became clear that Ukraine was too weak to defeat Russia militarily and Mr Trump won the US presidential election, but his instinct is still to fight rather than negotiate .

Mr. Zelensky’s problem is that this instinct is now at odds with the exhausted Ukrainian population, which now favors negotiating a peace deal with Russia.

He hopes his attack in Kursk will reassure his Western allies that Ukraine is still ready to fight and worth supporting.

As for Putin, Sunday’s action is probably more of an irritation, perhaps just a distraction, than a major headache.

It is a personal affront for Ukraine to attack its forces inside Russia again, but he will stick to his core belief that Russian forces will ultimately defeat Ukrainian forces due to superior numbers.

The problem for Putin is “eventually.” His tactic of overwhelming Ukrainian positions with swarm infantry tactics is time-consuming. As the time of a second Trump presidency and possible peace negotiations approaches, he may not be able to afford these luxuries in the Kursk region.

Mr Zelensky’s second Kursk counteroffensive is a gamble, both strategically clever and desperate.

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