Posted on 05/29/2022 9:03:23 AM PDT by Mariner
Rumors have been swirling in recent weeks that Russian President Vladimir Putin is unwell and somehow losing his grip.
The strongman and former KGB operative, who is pushing 70, has spent years trying to cultivate a macho image — riding a horse without a shirt on, playing hockey, and showing off his judo moves. Throughout his roughly two decades in power, Putin has been thought of as a calculated, emotionless leader. But the bare-chested equestrian's disposition has seemingly shifted since he launched an unprovoked, full-scale war in Ukraine back in late February. His cheeks are puffy, he's fidgety, and his speeches bombastic and filled with vitriol.
The war in Ukraine has been so disastrous for the Russian military that many have begun to wonder what led Putin to miscalculate so badly. Some have guessed that he's suffering from mental decline. Others have rumored that Putin is seriously ill, drawing broad conclusions from minute aspects of his behavior. Even the wiggling of the Russian leader's foot has been enough to prompt a wave of speculation over his health.
But three intelligence and military experts in the US who spoke to Insider say they're not putting much weight on the continuing speculation that the Russian leader is in physical decline — a theory that has not been endorsed by doctors or medical experts.
Jeffrey Edmonds, former director for Russia on the National Security Council and an ex-CIA military analyst, told Insider he's "not seeing anything truly credible" to back-up the notion that Putin is unwell.
(Excerpt) Read more at yahoo.com ...
The Russian state decided this war was in their interest. Whether history agrees with them is a separate issue.
And Vlad Putin may not be sick.
Biden is increasingly angry in public as well.
“Rumors have been swirling in recent weeks that Russian President Vladimir Putin is unwell and somehow losing his grip.”
The idiots in the MSM were the ones putting out those rumors and now they’re backtracking from them. How can anyone believe anything reported by the American media anymore?
War? I thought it was a special military operation?
But, but, the Daily Mail said he was on his death bed and we have video proof that he looked shaky and might have had a cold at the least. I am pretty sure someone caught him using a hanky. Wouldn't he have been smiling if he was feeling OK?
I, personally, view all matters international through the prism of oil. It is and will remain civilization’s lifeblood. Electric vehicles are not a fad, but they are purely urban and will stay that way. The range limit and hauling limits will forever restrict them largely because people will not tolerate the hours of recharge for long trips vs 3 minutes filling a tank. And refrigerated trucks will never be anything by diesel. The refrigeration would kill the battery and you’d be recharging that truck 3X a day — for hours.
This is not an engineering problem. It is a physics problem. And so ... oil decides everything because oil plants food and hauls food to stores. That, is everything.
Russia’s surface area ensures via Undiscovered Reserves that “they will run out last”. This is no one’s fault. God decided this. And make sure you understand one critical thing — Rosneft knows this and has briefed Putin and his staff. They KNOW they will run out last. They know they are destined for dominance.
Ukraine happened because the east border is less than 100 miles from the Caspian Sea’s oil route north along the Volga River. This is exactly why Hitler was after Baku/Caspian and Stalingrad, now Volgograd. It’s All About Oil. NATO was never going to be allowed that close to 1/2 of Russian total oil flow.
Putin took action because it is in Russia’s best interests. Morality and ethics are inconsequential. If you did deep enough you can find things “wrong” with both sides of every war ever fought. None of it matters. Only who wins matters.
It would not have any impact on Russian policy if Putin died tomorrow. His replacement would presumably ALSO be 100% committed to Russia’s best interests and 0% committed to the preferences of Russia’s enemies.
They are going to run out last, people. It is a horrible mistake to be turning them into a long term enemy because the day will come when your food requires their oil and they can simply say no, because of this bizarre choice to bite that hand that will feed us.
Hey, BI, there’s ‘credible’ evidence that the current US President is batshit crazy senile in almost every respect, but YOU take the time and trouble to spew leftist diversion that seems like YOU actually want WWIII.
That’s because they aren’t changing his Dependz as often as they used to. His handlers have resigned themselves to the fact that he won’t fly in 2024, especially after this November and are desperately trying to figure out to challenge him and get the cackling ho’ out of the picture.....
SOP, the adversary must be sick, and if not, then angry.
Go back a couple of years to read hundreds of stories about Kim being on the deathbed.. eventually reduced to mere "he lost some weight" -- which surely did not harm him, he is undeniably fat.
Now, go forward a couple of years, or perhaps less to read about Xi's health problems....
As for Putin -- he is in charge of a complex situation. If he looks tired...ask -- would not you look tired? After all he has to do his work... not just eat ice-cream and sniff kids.
Vladimir Putin may very well die in his sleep many years from now, in the fullness of his years. So far, he has kept an iron hand on the reins of power in the Russian Federation, virtually unresponsive to any criticism or reproof from anybody.
Though apparently the Russian Army does not perform nearly as well as first anticipated, there is little incentive for Putin to modify or retreat in his strategy to annex most of the port facilities and energy reserves found in eastern Ukraine.
But the Ukrainians are driven by different considerations. For Putin, it is a way to consolidate his power in the Black Sea and add another small wedge into the resurrection of the old Soviet Union. For the Ukrainians, this struggle is existential, for their very lives.
“They are going to run out last”
Great post.
You can’t run industry on propaganda and lies.
At the end of the day you have to produce physical stuff.
The Ukranians will be fine.
In the East and South most speak fluent Russia and many are former Russian citizens.
In the West they will probably retain some level of independence and their own culture.
The only ones who are not fine are the ones duped by Western media into risking their lives for a stupid war they were destined to lose.
They have my sympathy.
“It would not have any impact on Russian policy if Putin died tomorrow.”
That does not fit the neocon narrative.
They NEED to personalize the conflict, because, for the most part, Americans are stupid.
Biden’s owner should take him to the vet, he has a duty to care for his animals.
And today M-16 said Putin may already be dead, and a body double has taken his place. 😂😂😂
So we were lied to again.
Most likely, you will laugh last.
He looks pretty sick to me.
I think he got bad news from the doctors, and decided to cement his place in history by bringing Ukraine back into the fold. He did not expect it to turn into the bloody slugfest that has resulted.
The fact (I believe…) that his time is short gives him no incentive to cut his losses. He has his landbridge. At some point NATO will want to cut their losses and accept the loss of the Ukrainian southeast.
I support Ukraine, and given time they can turn this thing around. But Putin has no incentive to end it, and Ukraine is almost entirely dependent on NATO which has its own interests. The Biden White House certainly can’t be trusted. So the clock is ticking for Ukraine. It’s ticking for Russia too, but it’s a different timeline.
Who wins is who can endure the most pain, and who can maintain their supply lines and political support. When we find out that Brussels is talking to Moscow bypassing Kiev we’ll know which way it’s going.
#1. “ This war would have occurred no matter who was President of Russia...or the US. “
The idea that other countries act for their own reasons, independent of the U.S. and Europe, is a alien concept to a lot of online experts.
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