Ukraine's surprise invasion of Russia's Kursk region humiliated not only Vladimir Putin, but also NATO countries, which for fear of provoking a nuclear escalation did not allow Ukraine to show its full military potential.
This is written for The Telegraph by British reserve colonel Richard Kemp, who is also a former commander of British forces in Afghanistan.
Vladimir Putin is not the only world leader who was humiliated by Ukraine's unexpected invasion of Kursk – the first such attack on Russian territory since World War II. The invasion also taught NATO a lesson.
Britain's Storm Shadow missiles could turn the tide of this battle, but the government in London seems unwilling to allow them to be used to their full potential. Did Winston Churchill ban bombs from falling on Nazi territory during World War II? Joe Biden has taken the same line, refusing to allow much-needed ATACMS long-range missiles to be used in support of the Ukrainian offensive.
This is the unfortunate reality of the entire war - the Western allies were making policy not based on Ukraine's vital defense needs, but because of an unfounded fear of Russian retaliation. Putin threatened a nuclear attack, but it was seen how all his “red lines” collapsed. However, the politics of the West is always half-hearted, inadequate and cowardly.
Ukraine was able to launch a surprise attack on Russian soil because most of the border was left largely unguarded. How is this possible in conditions of full-scale war? The answer is simple: Putin knew that his territory remained virtually invulnerable to attack due to Western restrictions on the use of weapons by the ZSU. The same applies to airports, supply routes and logistics bases.
Russia does not have infinite combat power at its disposal, but the assumption that its territory is safe has allowed it to concentrate enough forces to repel the Ukrainian advance and advance in the Donbass. The reality is that Western timidity is protecting Russian territory.
The word “de-escalation“ has become the cowardly watchword of Western leaders who fail to realize that when you're up against a tyrant like Putin, escalation is often the only language he fears and understands.
Zelensky taught the West a useful lesson at Kursk. A thousand square kilometers of Russia's sacred territory, its own sovereign territory, was seized from Ukraine, albeit temporarily, and nuclear missiles are not raining down on Kiev. The truth is that if Ukraine had been allowed to escalate from the start, it could have brought the war to a close on terms favorable to Kiev. Time will tell if it's too late for that, or if this bold attack could turn out to be a turning point.