Vladimir Putin
It’s absolutely amazing! The name Vladimir Putin is never far from the lips of every honest citizen across the globe. Whether it’s Crimea, Ukraine, the mass murder of innocent victims in Syria or the horrendous murder of exiled Alexander Litvinenko, President Vladimir Putin’s dream of total Soviet control is an obsession that shows no sign of stopping. He wants to restore Russia to its former glory as a great power. His new ambition now is to shatter NATO by mounting Ukrainestyle insurgencies in the smaller Baltic States which are under NATO protection.
Putin is an obsessive control freak. He is perceived as a bully on the world stage, an old school hardliner clinging to a Cold War mentality. He knows that if he crosses the red line and attacks a NATO ally, he will be defeated. But he is a specialist in hybrid warfare. He is keen to begin a conflict in Estonia or Latvia which have large Russian populations and then deny involvement by using soldiers without insignia. His irresponsible actions have been under scrutiny since he ordered Russian troops to annexe western Ukraine.
It’s interesting to note that according to a 2008 study disclosed in a Pentagon report, Putin has Asperger’s syndrome. His mother had a stroke while pregnant and as a result, his neurological development was significantly interrupted in infancy. Maybe the reason behind all this extreme power is a way of over-compensating for his condition, which is a form of autism.
Mention of corruption is strictly off limits in Russia even though high-ranking officials have more words for ‘bribe’ than Eskimos do for ‘snow’. They admit that all they have belongs to the state. Opposition to his policies and dealings is dealt with immediately and with an iron fist. If someone dares criticize the President’s behaviour, he is immediately classified as an enemy of the state and arrested.
To thousands of visitors, Russia’s layers seem modern and fresh… until they are lifted one by one to reveal Russia’s ultimate “sponsor” Vladimir Putin, whose authoritarianism is at the centre of everything.
Jos Edmond Zarb Birkirkara