Russia’s defence ministry may believe its forces are “defeating” Ukraine’s counter-offensive in the Kursk region, but Vladimir Putin clearly doesn’t.He has sent one of his toughest generals to organise the fight back against Ukraine’s surprise Sunday morning counter-offensive.General Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, promoted in December 2024 by Putin and trusted to run Russia’s border defences and Africa mercenary projects, arrived in Kursk less than a couple of hours after Ukrainian tanks started rumbling towards Russian positions.By sending Gen Yevkurov to Kursk, Putin has shown his hand.Although it is still unclear how successful the Ukrainian counter-offensive will be, he is clearly worried.