Russia's debacle in Kursk Suddenly Putin is vulnerable - but others have to tremble

Ukraine is continuing its advance in the Kursk region. This is said to have something to do with the secrecy of Vladimir Putin's generals.

Ukraine is advancing in the Kursk region. It is not possible to independently verify how far the army has already advanced. But the sudden advance has taken everyone by surprise.

Fabian Burkhardt, research associate at the Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies in Regensburg, told n-tv that Putin was completely overrun. "Putin was not informed of the threat by his military," says Burkhardt.

This can also be seen in the current wave of purges within the military, according to Burkhardt. For example, Chief of Defense Sergei Shoigu was removed from office - and yet remains untouchable.

Putin is not infallible, but ...

The situation is repeatedly glossed over behind the scenes with Putin. "There is a risk of being punished for telling Putin the truth to his face," says Burkhardt. The British secret service wrote something similar in its assessment of the situation a few months ago. "There is a culture of fear behind the scenes," was the assessment. Burkhardt does not believe that Putin is losing support in the Kremlin.

The Washington-based think tank "Institute for The Study of War" also does not believe that Putin is in trouble. "At the moment, the Russian president is firmly in the saddle," it said in its assessment on Wednesday. But: "Putin shows that he is vulnerable - and above all not infallible."

The pressure on Putin is therefore nevertheless increasing. As more and more Russian people have to be evacuated due to the Ukrainian advance, criticism of the Kremlin is also becoming louder again, according to the exile media outlet "Meduza".

Putin shifts responsibility

Political scientist Thomas Jäger says that Putin will now react on two levels. On the one hand, he will probably soon intensify the bombing of civilian targets in Ukraine. On the other hand, Putin is likely to try to restore order in southern Russia as quickly as possible. "If this succeeds quickly, his position will be more secure," said Jäger in an interview withFocus.

The sales tactics of the reaction are also crucial. Jäger is convinced that Putin will make it clear to his people that there are no other options than bombing. Putin will sell the attacks as a demonstration of power and punishment for those who provoked Russia.

Putin will also shift responsibility to other actors. This already happened on Monday at a meeting with high-ranking employees of the Ministry of Defense. There, Putin publicly reprimanded his people, telling the governor of the Kursk region, for example, that the military department was responsible for assessing the situation.

Jäger is also observing Putin's strategy. He and other experts agree that the Kremlin's decision to publish the video recordings from this meeting is a clear signal. "In the end, that will mean: Putin, he has made up for everything that others here just weren't able to do professionally."