Is Putin really crazy, like #45 crazy, or is it mental deterioration?

[Anonymous]

"Amidst all this, it’s easy to think — as many of our pundits do in the West — that Putin is just “unhinged” or a “madman.” They have been wrong so far, and are wrong again. It’s more chilling to understand that Putin has a line of thought all his own. He is making a bet. And it remains to be seen whether or not that bet will win. That bet isn’t just about Ukraine — it never has been. It began a decade or more ago, with the Russian destabilisation of the West, which culminated in Trump and Brexit. Putin didn’t install an American President and split Britain from the EU and NATO for nothing."

https://eand.co/putins-betting-the-west-will-break-it-s-up-to-us-to-prove-him-wrong-b984c6976147

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Amidst all this, it’s easy to think — as many of our pundits do in the West — that Putin is just “unhinged” or a “madman.” They have been wrong so far, and are wrong again. It’s more chilling to understand that Putin has a line of thought all his own. He is making a bet. And it remains to be seen whether or not that bet will win. That bet isn’t just about Ukraine — it never has been. It began a decade or more ago, with the Russian destabilisation of the West, which culminated in Trump and Brexit. Putin didn’t install an American President and split Britain from the EU and NATO for nothing."

https://eand.co/putins-betting-the-west-will-break-it-s-up-to-us-to-prove-him-wrong-b984c6976147

Wow. Very interesting thoughts. He might not be wrong.

[Anonymous]

The war may have not been going to plan but that is not an issue for a Russian leader, they throw at a war everything it takes.

Other upsides for Putin. 1) He rids the country of smart and educated people who most likely to oppose him 2) great opportunity to increase military force as poor Russians who become poorer and more propagandized sign on the dotted line to defend mother Russia.

Putin has also done a very clever thing, he has cast this as a war of the West against Russia. His support at home will only increase as the sanctions hit harder and the propaganda reaches a fever pitch.

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The war may have not been going to plan but that is not an issue for a Russian leader, they throw at a war everything it takes.

Other upsides for Putin. 1) He rids the country of smart and educated people who most likely to oppose him 2) great opportunity to increase military force as poor Russians who become poorer and more propagandized sign on the dotted line to defend mother Russia.

Putin has also done a very clever thing, he has cast this as a war of the West against Russia. His support at home will only increase as the sanctions hit harder and the propaganda reaches a fever pitch.

Wow, the Russian propagandists are now arguing Putin is a genius for blundering into a military quagmire. Truly astounding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The war may have not been going to plan but that is not an issue for a Russian leader, they throw at a war everything it takes.

Other upsides for Putin. 1) He rids the country of smart and educated people who most likely to oppose him 2) great opportunity to increase military force as poor Russians who become poorer and more propagandized sign on the dotted line to defend mother Russia.

Putin has also done a very clever thing, he has cast this as a war of the West against Russia. His support at home will only increase as the sanctions hit harder and the propaganda reaches a fever pitch.

Wow, the Russian propagandists are now arguing Putin is a genius for blundering into a military quagmire. Truly astounding.

DP. What I think is even more astounding is that some Russian propagandists (actual Russian propagandists) are admitting what a disaster this is and are putting forward an out - saying that the "demilitarization" goal in Ukraine has been met and that it's time to pack up and come home. There are secret communications among the Russian populace about what is happening ,but even more importantly, some public statements about quitting in Ukraine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The war may have not been going to plan but that is not an issue for a Russian leader, they throw at a war everything it takes.

Other upsides for Putin. 1) He rids the country of smart and educated people who most likely to oppose him 2) great opportunity to increase military force as poor Russians who become poorer and more propagandized sign on the dotted line to defend mother Russia.

Putin has also done a very clever thing, he has cast this as a war of the West against Russia. His support at home will only increase as the sanctions hit harder and the propaganda reaches a fever pitch.

Wow, the Russian propagandists are now arguing Putin is a genius for blundering into a military quagmire. Truly astounding.

DP. What I think is even more astounding is that some Russian propagandists (actual Russian propagandists) are admitting what a disaster this is and are putting forward an out - saying that the "demilitarization" goal in Ukraine has been met and that it's time to pack up and come home. There are secret communications among the Russian populace about what is happening ,but even more importantly, some public statements about quitting in Ukraine.

Not a Russian propagandist at all.

Obviously Russians blundered the invasion. Obviously Russian army is having issues. But you have to be very naive to believe that they will not/have not learned and are changing plans, and that Putin is not capitalizing on the current environment. Not only is he doing that, he is also dictating the terms with the West.

There was an article in the Financial Times today by Anatol Lieven, in line with my thinking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Amidst all this, it’s easy to think — as many of our pundits do in the West — that Putin is just “unhinged” or a “madman.” They have been wrong so far, and are wrong again. It’s more chilling to understand that Putin has a line of thought all his own. He is making a bet. And it remains to be seen whether or not that bet will win. That bet isn’t just about Ukraine — it never has been. It began a decade or more ago, with the Russian destabilisation of the West, which culminated in Trump and Brexit. Putin didn’t install an American President and split Britain from the EU and NATO for nothing."

https://eand.co/putins-betting-the-west-will-break-it-s-up-to-us-to-prove-him-wrong-b984c6976147

so do you believe any of the economic damage to Russia was underestimated in Putin's plans or is it baked in? I really don't think he expected so much resistance

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The war may have not been going to plan but that is not an issue for a Russian leader, they throw at a war everything it takes.

Other upsides for Putin. 1) He rids the country of smart and educated people who most likely to oppose him 2) great opportunity to increase military force as poor Russians who become poorer and more propagandized sign on the dotted line to defend mother Russia.

Putin has also done a very clever thing, he has cast this as a war of the West against Russia. His support at home will only increase as the sanctions hit harder and the propaganda reaches a fever pitch.

Wow, the Russian propagandists are now arguing Putin is a genius for blundering into a military quagmire. Truly astounding.

DP. What I think is even more astounding is that some Russian propagandists (actual Russian propagandists) are admitting what a disaster this is and are putting forward an out - saying that the "demilitarization" goal in Ukraine has been met and that it's time to pack up and come home. There are secret communications among the Russian populace about what is happening ,but even more importantly, some public statements about quitting in Ukraine.

Not a Russian propagandist at all.

Obviously Russians blundered the invasion. Obviously Russian army is having issues. But you have to be very naive to believe that they will not/have not learned and are changing plans, and that Putin is not capitalizing on the current environment. Not only is he doing that, he is also dictating the terms with the West.

There was an article in the Financial Times today by Anatol Lieven, in line with my thinking.

He's made zero headway on dictating his terms. But the west is successfully imposing more and more strictures on him and at this point the west is starting to laugh at him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The war may have not been going to plan but that is not an issue for a Russian leader, they throw at a war everything it takes.

Other upsides for Putin. 1) He rids the country of smart and educated people who most likely to oppose him 2) great opportunity to increase military force as poor Russians who become poorer and more propagandized sign on the dotted line to defend mother Russia.

Putin has also done a very clever thing, he has cast this as a war of the West against Russia. His support at home will only increase as the sanctions hit harder and the propaganda reaches a fever pitch.

Wow, the Russian propagandists are now arguing Putin is a genius for blundering into a military quagmire. Truly astounding.

DP. What I think is even more astounding is that some Russian propagandists (actual Russian propagandists) are admitting what a disaster this is and are putting forward an out - saying that the "demilitarization" goal in Ukraine has been met and that it's time to pack up and come home. There are secret communications among the Russian populace about what is happening ,but even more importantly, some public statements about quitting in Ukraine.

Not a Russian propagandist at all.

Obviously Russians blundered the invasion. Obviously Russian army is having issues. But you have to be very naive to believe that they will not/have not learned and are changing plans, and that Putin is not capitalizing on the current environment. Not only is he doing that, he is also dictating the terms with the West.

There was an article in the Financial Times today by Anatol Lieven, in line with my thinking.

He's made zero headway on dictating his terms. But the west is successfully imposing more and more strictures on him and at this point the west is starting to laugh at him.

Even the Ghanaians and Kenyans were trolling the Russian Perm Rep today.

Even China has now called it a war.

They're now desperately searching for internal scapegoats. Raids on the military high command and FSB.

Their new theory is that this was a trap set by the US and China.

Things are falling apart. It's been an absolute disaster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The war may have not been going to plan but that is not an issue for a Russian leader, they throw at a war everything it takes.

Other upsides for Putin. 1) He rids the country of smart and educated people who most likely to oppose him 2) great opportunity to increase military force as poor Russians who become poorer and more propagandized sign on the dotted line to defend mother Russia.

Putin has also done a very clever thing, he has cast this as a war of the West against Russia. His support at home will only increase as the sanctions hit harder and the propaganda reaches a fever pitch.

Wow, the Russian propagandists are now arguing Putin is a genius for blundering into a military quagmire. Truly astounding.

DP. What I think is even more astounding is that some Russian propagandists (actual Russian propagandists) are admitting what a disaster this is and are putting forward an out - saying that the "demilitarization" goal in Ukraine has been met and that it's time to pack up and come home. There are secret communications among the Russian populace about what is happening ,but even more importantly, some public statements about quitting in Ukraine.

Not a Russian propagandist at all.

Obviously Russians blundered the invasion. Obviously Russian army is having issues. But you have to be very naive to believe that they will not/have not learned and are changing plans, and that Putin is not capitalizing on the current environment. Not only is he doing that, he is also dictating the terms with the West.

There was an article in the Financial Times today by Anatol Lieven, in line with my thinking.

He's made zero headway on dictating his terms. But the west is successfully imposing more and more strictures on him and at this point the west is starting to laugh at him.

He is (granted very slowly) getting what he wants and neutering the West's response. He has been setting the tone in this war since the beginning. He put the nuclear card on the table right at the outset, he has gotten US and EU to publicly declare they will not send troops, or missiles or planes or enforce a No Fly zone. He is bombarding hospitals and schools and sieging cities and not allowing humanitarian corridors. He has seized Nuclear Plants and disconnected them from the grid, he is building the narrative for his false flag chemical attacks that are soon coming. He has absolutely dictated the terms of engagement.

People think that Russia will collapse because of the sanctions, nope they will regroup, pivot to China, India and Middle Eastern countries for trade in exchange for Russia's commodities. The Russian people will suffer but Russia's elites know how to subdue the masses.

EU will have to figure out what to do with tens of millions of refugees as the conflict pushes further and close to the Polish border. This is not about Ukraine anymore. This is Putin's war with the West.

[Anonymous]

15@6 and 15:27 back-to-back, phew! Whiplash!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The war may have not been going to plan but that is not an issue for a Russian leader, they throw at a war everything it takes.

Other upsides for Putin. 1) He rids the country of smart and educated people who most likely to oppose him 2) great opportunity to increase military force as poor Russians who become poorer and more propagandized sign on the dotted line to defend mother Russia.

Putin has also done a very clever thing, he has cast this as a war of the West against Russia. His support at home will only increase as the sanctions hit harder and the propaganda reaches a fever pitch.

Wow, the Russian propagandists are now arguing Putin is a genius for blundering into a military quagmire. Truly astounding.

DP. What I think is even more astounding is that some Russian propagandists (actual Russian propagandists) are admitting what a disaster this is and are putting forward an out - saying that the "demilitarization" goal in Ukraine has been met and that it's time to pack up and come home. There are secret communications among the Russian populace about what is happening ,but even more importantly, some public statements about quitting in Ukraine.

Not a Russian propagandist at all.

Obviously Russians blundered the invasion. Obviously Russian army is having issues. But you have to be very naive to believe that they will not/have not learned and are changing plans, and that Putin is not capitalizing on the current environment. Not only is he doing that, he is also dictating the terms with the West.

There was an article in the Financial Times today by Anatol Lieven, in line with my thinking.

He's made zero headway on dictating his terms. But the west is successfully imposing more and more strictures on him and at this point the west is starting to laugh at him.

Even the Ghanaians and Kenyans were trolling the Russian Perm Rep today.

Even China has now called it a war.

They're now desperately searching for internal scapegoats. Raids on the military high command and FSB.

Their new theory is that this was a trap set by the US and China.

Things are falling apart. It's been an absolute disaster.

Yes it's been a disaster BUT Putin and his circle are willing to do whatever it takes to win this war, no matter how many Russian and Ukranian die, no matter the destruction. They will keep this going to the bitter end.

[Anonymous]

He's trying to get Lukashenko to participate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He's trying to get Lukashenko to participate.

15:27 again. And Lukashenko will, they are just waiting for the right timing.

Also, today Russians kidnaped the mayor of Melitopol. Putin has lots and lots of tricks up his sleeve folks while the US is thinking about shrimp and vodka bans.

EU and US are in a terrible position as they are at this point dealing with a rogue player.