Putin is biding his time to seek revenge for Kursk

Vladimir Putin, it seems, is procrastinating. Just when the war in Ukraine was going his way and the Russian army doing what it does best – pummelling its way forward like a leaden-footed but seemingly unstoppable heavyweight boxer – Kyiv has sneaked in a powerful side punch. By launching an incursion into the Kursk region, Ukraine has not only breached the borders of Mother Russia – the inner sanctum of what is still a regional empire of control and influence – but also opened a second front.

For days Ukrainians braced for a spiteful rejoinder. Perhaps Putin would lash out with withering rocket attacks, a devastating bombing raid against a major city, or even (Heaven forbid) a small nuclear strike against Kyiv’s forces.

But so far the Russian president has done remarkably little. On Tuesday he toured a factory in the Russian regions that makes sugar-free apple-flavoured sweets.