A Russian former commander has speculated that Russian President Vladimir Putin may be suffering from 'schizophrenia' and this is the reason for the country’s failures in Ukraine.
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Does Vladimir Putin have schizophrenia?
On Saturday 25 February, Russian ex-commander Igor Girkin shared a Telegram post that was originally posted on Russian social media network VKontakte. The post analysed the reasons behind Russia’s failures in the war, highlighting a variety of factors that have helped Ukraine resist the invasion and even reclaim formerly-occupied territories.
According to Girkin's post, one of the factors that has prevented Russia from winning the war is Putin's leadership. He partially blamed Russia's inability to defeat Ukraine on the Russian President's supposed 'schizophrenia'. He said:
Once again he has shown his amazing schizophrenic ability to cheerfully start any business, but not finish it by hiding in the bushes.
Putin is no stranger to speculation about his physical health, with rumours he's suffering from cancer and Parkinson's disease, but also his mental health. Some believe Putin is psychologically unwell. Various reports have claimed he has psychosis, a disturbed psyche,depression, and paranoia.
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Girkin continued in his post that perhaps Putin is simply feeling the pressure. He said:
However, maybe this is not schizophrenia, but rather the standard behaviour of an ordinary middle-ranking regional official, when something has gone wrong and "colleagues" and "businessmen" start pounding the doorsteps and demanding "to get it all back on track".
The former commander also wrote that, while Putin has shown no indication of retreating, it would be impossible for him to do so:
You can't back out, it's a sign of weakness and a loss of "alpha" status, but you can't abandon those asking, so you have to wriggle out like this...
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Newsweek: 'Putin Called 'Schizophrenic' in Post Shared by Former Russian Commander'
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