With Russia’s or more specifically Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, casual onlookers of Putin are now taking a greater interest in his behavior. Psychologists recognize this behavior and know it’s classic patterns, and those patterns can be best described as a dangerous animal if provoked.
Names like “Pussy Riot” come to mind as people who would look to challenge Putin. That resulted in Jail time for them. Other names like Barack Obama and other western leaders have gone head to head with Putin and have not faired well at all. Even trying to get Putin to stop sending weapons to Syria had no effect. The only thing they got out of it was some sort of punishment from Putin for even daring to try. Even Edward Snowden is being used as a tool of some sort.
The punishment is measured to have the most effect. For example banning adoptions of Russian orphans or expelling some diplomats has a focused punch. In short in Putin’s eyes nobody gets the best of him. Even in Ukraine the uprising that expelled a pro Russian President was met with a Putin ordered invasion less than 48 hours after. There were even threats from Putin to other countries about imposing sanctions implying there will be some price to pay if they do.
So it does not take a degree in Psychology to see that Putin has a huge ego that he feeds everyday. His macho display of his body is just one example of that. He is the King at the top of the hill and he knows it. If anyone has played King of the Hill and understands the simple rule. That rule is to use physical force to stay at the top pushing all other challengers down the hill.
So because Putin has this huge ego that he is not shy to flaunt, he has developed friction between his views and the views of others. That is the basis of the Anti Putin movement. Also Putin is Old School USSR thinking, and hence his behavior matches. So it does not take much of an imagination to connect some dots that the Cold War between the US and Russia could be reignited if Putin is allowed to feel he can do what he wants unchecked. It seems the Ukraine is just the fuel for that to possibly happen.
So much of the Anti-Putin movement is all about getting Putin out of power so his ego does not eventually drive him to do something terribly foolish, and the invasion of Ukraine may be one of the first of those foolish things.
