[ansel12]

“”putin may well be criminally insane, a true sociopath””

A man who rose through the ranks of an evil empire to become a senior officer in the KGB, who backed terrorist groups in Western Europe with funds and weapons, who after the empire collapsed first ran the new KGB, and then became dictator of the nation and is now conducting a massive, bloody invasion of a peaceful neighbor and who focused his war effort on removing heating and electricity from the civilian population at the start of winter?

I guess psychopathy or sociopathy could apply.

[dennisw]

A man who rose through the ranks of an evil empire to become a senior officer in the KGB, who backed terrorist groups in Western Europe with funds and weapons, who after the empire collapsed first ran the new KGB, and then became dictator of the nation and is now conducting a massive, bloody invasion of a peaceful neighbor and who focused his war effort on removing heating and electricity from the civilian population at the start of winter?

I think that Putin is a student of Saddam Hussein. That he followed his career and his demise. Saddam used to travel with loads of bodyguards. And sometimes with 500 soldiers. Putin is doing his best to never be assassinated.

Vlad also observed how Saddam sent Iraqi Shiites to the front lines to be cannon fodder. During the First Gulf War. Saddam and Putin are demons but they both know how to hold a nation together. In Saddam's case, with a lot more murder and brutality.