Russian President Vladimir Putin meeting with his aides▶ Click here for a larger view
Determining whether Russian President Vladimir Putin is in a “clear mental state” is currently a top priority for U.S. intelligence officials, CNN reported on the 1st (local time).
U.S. intelligence officials say the US intelligence authorities are preoccupied with verifying whether President Putin, who justified the invasion of Ukraine with sophistication and historical falsehood, ordered military operations that killed civilians, and even threatened the West with nuclear weapons, is currently in a healthy state of mind. will be.
CNN also obtained and reported a report published by the FBI regarding Putin’s mental state.
An informant in the report said of Putin that “recent actions are very worrying and unpredictable” and “extremely outraged at the sanctions from the West. Putin feels that sanctions are being implemented faster and with greater intensity than expected,” the report said. “It contained what was said.
However, this is something the informant heard from a person close to Putin, not directly talking to Putin.
The FBI, which wrote the report, also warned that the source might be “information operations” to influence U.S. policy decisions and should not be fully trusted, CNN reported.
Speculation that Putin’s mental health may not be intact has been raised steadily since the outbreak of the Ukraine war.
Russian President Putin▶ Click here for a larger view
Senator Marco Rubio, vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, recently tweeted: “Putin has always been a killer, but now the problem is getting worse. “He said.
Former US ambassador to Russia Michael McFoul, former US ambassador to Russia, said, “Putin has changed. He has lost his sense of reality. He is unhinged.” “, he pointed out.
Some analysts say that President Putin is taking a somewhat ’emotional’ response as he has been cut off from the outside world for too long due to the prolonged COVID-19 situation.
“I don’t think Putin is crazy,” said Beth Shanner, a former adviser to former US President Donald Trump. may have an effect on it,” he said.
There are also observations that it may have become difficult to communicate the exact situation and information as a very small number of ‘yes men’ surround Putin.
The Washington Post reports that Putin is only getting advice from a small number of his advisers, who are likely to fail to report the situation properly.
“You must have seen pictures of Putin meeting several meters apart with his aides,” a U.S. intelligence official told The Post. “It shows the current situation metaphorically.”
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