Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin: Strongman or sucker?

First, I don’t view Russian President Vladimir Putin as a hero or victim, but as a pawn. Western intelligence agencies puppeteered Putin into invading Ukraine.

So, how did KGB Putin get outplayed by the West?

Sure, Putin once lived and breathed spy vs. spy, but he has been a politician in charge of a world power for the last 20 years. Politics attracts ass kissers, inflates one’s self worth, and gets people believing the caricature the world sees them as.

For Putin, it’s the strongman.

While holding power with the KGB strongman mystique, the one thing Putin could not afford was to look weak.