Knowing the intentions of a powerful political leader, even charismatic, is particularly difficult, but in the case of Russian President Vladimir Putin this proposal risks turning into a “mission impossible”. The experience gained over the long years spent in the KGB, and in particular that acquired in Dresden during the period in which a close collaboration with the Stasi, the very powerful and fearsome security ministry of the German Democratic Republic, was created, have undoubtedly had a profound impact on character formation. of the Russian premier, making it authentically impenetrable.
It is certainly no coincidence that during his stay in East Germany he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel and obtained, in 1989, the bronze medal from East Germany “for the faithful service rendered to the Army of the German Democratic Republic”.
Putin respects strength and discipline, but don’t apply it without the aid of careful mind control. He himself used to say: “I am a specialist in human relations”.
The experiences gained in intelligence have enormously influenced his professional and character training, shaping his concept of ethics, national identity, strength and above all allowing him to acquire an extraordinary ability in the adoption of different behavioral models in the field of personal relationships.
Paul Kolbe, for many years an expert on Russian affairs for the CIA, on the techniques of acquiring information from the Russians, observed that “if you let them talk to try to understand what they really want, it is possible to find a way out. But he also added that “this makes sense, unless the gunman really wants to shoot hostages.”