On Thursday, March 17, US President Joe Biden called Russian head Vladimir Putin “a pure thug” and a “bloody dictator” who is waging an immoral war against Ukraine.
The day before, Biden called Putin a “war criminal” for the first time.
This is pretty harsh rhetoric, which is rapidly changing for the worse with each new day of aggressive hostilities that the Kremlin has launched with February 24.
Many foreign media outlets, like the US president, are beginning to treat Vladimir Putin with increasing negativity. So, in particular, there are reports that the Russian head may be sick – some journalists do not believe that a person in their right mind could take such cruel actions that can be observed in Ukrainian cities and regions: Mariupol, Kiev region, Kharkov , Chernihiv and others.
About what Western media write about “diagnoses” Putin, what are their predictions about the end of the war and in general for the next few weeks – read the ICTV Facts article
Esquire about Putin's cancer theory and steroid treatment
Dr. Kenneth Dekleva, who researches the psychology of world leaders, said in an interview that as a practicing clinician, he saw hundreds of patients who took steroids for the treatment of various diseases.
He clarified that steroid psychosis or mania in this case he has observed only twice in 30 years of practice.
– This is extremely rare. If there was something like that, you would see more behavioral evidence,” he elaborated.
The doctor urged to be wary of the arguments that Putin may be sick, due to outwardly visible swelling, as well as irritability and nervous behavior.
According to him, for such “diagnoses” ; there are no hard facts: the Russian leader's face may have swelled a little due to the fact that he spent a lot of time alone in connection with the coronavirus pandemic, exercised less and moved.
Dekleva recalled that many people gained 15 or 20 pounds during the pandemic. In addition, Botox injections can be the cause of puffiness.
– There may be other reasons. Perhaps he is just not as healthy, he trains less … In fact, he does not visit the Kremlin as often as media reports. Perhaps it's just a combination of aging, isolation and a sedentary lifestyle, the doctor estimated.
Answering a question about how events in Russia's war against Ukraine might develop further, he stressed that the next few weeks will be very difficult for the Ukrainian people – as well as for the countries of the West, but there are reasons for “cautious optimism” .
According to Deklev, one of the things that can work to end the war, while both sides are hard-lined and not ready to make concessions, is to invite an international mediator.
In this regard, he recalled the case of Kosovo in 1999.
– Then they invited a very experienced former Finnish Foreign Minister, Martti Ahtisaari, Nobel Peace Prize winner – he played a key role in resolving the 87-day war in Kosovo. The participation of an international mediator, who is trusted by all parties, would probably be the right step, he believes.
Air Force on future forecasts for Ukraine and Russia
British expert on Russian history Orlando Figes stressed that he does not like “speculate” about what will happen next, but it is already possible to make a forecast that starting from the day when the Russian Federation made its invasion on February 24, it “lost the positive scenarios for itself and the Russian regime”.
– I believe it's only a matter of time before the Russian regime falls. Most likely this will happen thanks to the internal elites from the ruling elite. Another thing is how long the Ukrainians will be able to fight before the pressure gives results,” he said.
Figes said that his fear is that if, after winning the war with Russia, nothing is done to “deputinization” Russian society, in order for Russians to overcome the propaganda they were fed, any government that replaces the current one will become “Putin number two”, if not worse.
The Atlantic about “failed” expectations of the West from the Russian army
The publication emphasizes that “vaunted” the Russian army turned out to be an empty force whose main skills, they observed, were to intimidate their own conscripts and kill foreign civilians.
– The Russian Air Force did not live up to even the most modest expectations; perhaps the Russian pilots should have spent more time preparing and flying, and not on bizarre maneuvers at foreign air shows, the material says.
Journalists note that after the failure of “blitzkrieg&# 8221; Putin doesn't even trust his own security services and appears to be purging some of his top spies.
At the same time, people in Russia are reportedly taking to the streets, prompting the regime to arrest thousands of its own citizens.
– The Russian economy is in deep freeze and is likely to remain so for years to come, the article predicts.
CNN o& #8220;Stalin's speech” Putin: everything is not going according to plan
The media emphasized that the “incendiary Stalinist speech”, in which Vladimir Putin called Russians opposed to the war “traitors”, marked a change in tone and a sign that not everything is going according to plan.
Journalists, citing expert comments, report that the head of the Russian Federation, faced with a failure in the seizure of Ukraine, may undertake a “vindictive maneuver” in Russia and will crack down harder than ever on any manifestation of dissent.
According to experts, Putin, who enjoys a consistently high rating in Russia, is now resorting to a strategy of intimidation to keep Russian citizens on his side.
– His speech darkly hinted that those Russians who did not side with him became, in fact, traitors – frightening words in a country where massive political repression and the Gulag system are still vivid in memory, – write in the material.
Elizabeth Brow, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, told the publication that Putin's speech also shows how isolated the head of the Kremlin has become.
“His whole world is in his head,” Brau said.
She explained that Putin was heavily isolated during the pandemic, and now he has become even more cut off from society, as Western sanctions hitting the Russian economy.
Brau elaborated that Vladimir Putin was probably surprised and outraged at how far the West went with the sanctions, and is now worried about the backlash that is likely to follow soon from the Russians.< /p>
“It’s kind of a humiliation for a country that is now closing McDonald’s, with Russians flocking to IKEA to buy every last thing available before it leaves the country—it’s humiliating and, of course, quite frightening. Think about the potential reaction of the Russian public when these consumer goods are no longer available, she said.
Brau also stressed that the stagnation in Russian troop movements was likely the result of Russia contemplating its next steps in the war against Ukraine.
– Russia was clearly counting on a quick and decisive success, which did not happen . They are facing more united, better trained Ukrainian forces than Russia could have imagined. So they moved on to plan B – a brutal war, but Ukraine stands firm on its own. They are reclaiming the cities, they recently freed the local mayor, who was taken prisoner. So if that doesn't work, what's plan C? she noted.
The Wall Street Journal on US uncertainty in this fight
Journalists emphasize that President Biden's moral condemnation of Russia is commendable, and he coordinates well with his allies. However, since February 24, Congress, allies and public opinion have had to push the head of the United States to further action.
“The US failed to contain Putin by simply threatening sanctions, and then imposed sanctions only gradually after the invasion. Biden resisted a ban on Russian oil imports, resisted trade restrictions, and had to be pushed to ship more weapons. It is as if Biden is so afraid of provoking Putin that he is afraid of what might happen if Ukraine wins the war,” the publication noted.
Journalists emphasize that the consequences for the United States will be much more dire if Vladimir Putin will conquer Ukraine. His troops will stand on the border with NATO, and he will show the world that he can invade countries whenever he wants, despite global opposition.
– His ambitions will not stop there, the article says.
The media also quoted Volodymyr Zelensky, who called Biden the leader of the American nation and wished him become a world leader.
Mr. Biden wanted to be Roosevelt, but the world needs him to be Harry Truman at the dawn of the Cold War, the journalists summarized.
Source: CNN, Esquire, BBC, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal
