Countless theories are circulating about what is going through the mind of Russian President Vladimir Putin, why he took this step with Ukraine and what his goal is.

A person who met with Putin recalls his obsession with watching the video of Gaddafi's assassination after he was ousted in 2011.

Some speculate, without much evidence, about possible ill health or for drug effects. Others point to psychological factors such as the feeling that his time is running out to fulfill what he sees as his destiny in protecting Russia. The Russian leader visibly isolated himself from others during the Covid pandemic, and this could have had a psychological impact.

"Putin is probably not mentally ill, nor has he changed, although he is in a hurry, and in recent years he is probably more isolated," said Ken Dekleva, a former US government doctor and diplomat and currently a senior fellow at the George Foundation. В. Bush.

But now the concern is that credible information still does not find its way into Putin's closed bubble. His intelligence services may have hesitated to tell him everything he did not want to hear before the invasion, offering rosy estimates of how the invasion will go.

And this week, a Western official said Putin may not yet have an insight into how bad things are for his troops, known to Western intelligence services. This raises concerns about how he might react when faced with a deteriorating situation for Russia.