The world was caught off guard by Ukraine’s bold and daring incursion into the Kursk region of Russia on August 6. This surprise attack by a smaller nation against a nuclear power has shattered Russian President Vladimir Putin’s carefully constructed narrative of greatness and invincibility. While Western observers have primarily focused on the tactical advances made by Ukrainian forces, this attack has also unveiled more profound strategic vulnerabilities of Russia’s standing as a supposed great power. Notably, even Russia’s closest allies within the Collective Security Treaty…
