'Putin has gone crazy' says his defected security officer
Putin's Security Officer Defects
In this transcript, a former captain of Russia's Federal Guard Service, Gleb Karakolov, who was responsible for providing encrypted communication to Putin during his foreign visits, reveals that he defected with his family last October because he could no longer take orders from Putin and did not want his daughter to grow up in a highly militarized totalitarian Russia. He also provides insight into the mind of President Putin.
Reasons for Defection
- Karakolov defected because he could no longer take orders from a war criminal like Putin and did not want his daughter to grow up in a highly militarized totalitarian Russia.
- He believed that the war in Ukraine was basically the genocide of the Ukrainian people.
Significance of Defection
- Karakolov is believed to be the most high-ranking member of the special services to defect.
- His interview provides real insight into the mind of President Putin.
Revelations about Putin
- Putin has been locked up in his private residences throughout the pandemic and is paranoid.
- He has a special secure communications line set up in the bomb shelter of the Russian Embassy in Kazakhstan when he was there last year.
- He has identical offices in his residences across Russia to confuse foreign intelligence and prevent attempts on his life.
- He doesn't use mobile phones or internet; his only information comes from Russian State television and reports from intelligence services which are extremely flawed.
Paranoia and Concern for Personal Safety
- Karakolov says that Putin is pathologically afraid for his life and gripped by paranoia.
- Extraordinary measures were taken to protect Putin from coronavirus, including presidential aides taking PCR tests throughout the day and people who want to meet him being put in quarantine for two weeks before they are allowed to do so.
Conclusion
- Putin doesn't seem to be particularly rational anymore; he's crazy.