WASHINGTON -- "I personally think he's unhinged. I really worry about his acuity and balance right now." Former U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper gave this assessment of Russian President Vladimir Putin on CNN this week.
As Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues to escalate and threats of nuclear conflict enter the picture, understanding Putin's mental state has become a matter of growing urgency for Western intelligence agencies -- a difficult task, as the ex-KGB agent is a "hard target" for espionage, and notoriously difficult to read.
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