How Ukraine surprised Russia in Kursk - and why it should worry Putin | Defence in Depth

If there was a prize for bravest Russian of the week, surely Kursk Oblast Acting Governor Alexei Smirnov would be in the running. In a very tense National Security Council meeting a few days ago, Mr Smirnov did what very few others have ever done: tell Vladimir Putin the truth. This didn’t go down well.  Mr Smirnov wasn’t expected to actually say about how much land Ukraine had gained in its cross-border incursion, so when he did, Putin, who really doesn’t like surprises, abruptly cut him off. But if Ukraine’s operation has shown anything, it’s that surprise in war is very definitely back on the menu. Better stay away from those windows, Alexei. In this episode of Defence in Depth, Dominic Nicholls, The Telegraph’s associate editor, examines the Ukrainian tactics behind this ambitious mission and what Kyiv is ultimately trying to achieve. #ukraine #russia #war Find our Defence in Depth playlist here: