Is Ukraine’s incursion into Russia a major political disaster for Putin?

Ten soldiers wisely led will beat a hundred without a head. Euripides

As these words are being written, Ukrainian troops will have been occupying part of Russia for eleven full days, and if credible reports are to be believed, they are now in control of 1,150sq km of territory, encompassing 82 Russian settlements in the country’s vast Kursk region.

Unsurprisingly, according to Western military analysts — though impossible to disagree with regardless — is Putin’s humiliation and Russia’s military being exposed as a giant with feet of clay.

Stretched far too thin as it tries to maintain a 1000km front from Kharkov/Kharkiv in the north east of Ukraine all the way round to Crimea on the northern coast of the Black Sea, the Russians have been exposed as vulnerable to precisely this kind of quick and agile offensive operation. Accordingly, what is not in doubt is that the painstakingly grinding and attritional tactics employed by the Russians have allowed precious time for the Ukrainians, in conjunction with their Nato partners, to devise, plan, organize, and carry out the most audacious operation of the conflict thus far.

Here, let there be no doubt: despite claims to the contrary, this is essentially a Nato military operation, undertaken by…