A former officer in Vladimir Putin’s personal security detail, who has taken refuge in Europe, has revealed to Western intelligence services, including Britain’s MI6, that the Russian president is suffering from an extreme state of paranoia and isolation.
He is Gleb Kazakulov, who fled Russia in October 2022. Debriefed by the Western services, the former officer portrayed the Russian president as “a once charismatic leader who is increasingly isolated, who no longer uses mobile phones or the internet, and who insists on having access to Russian state television wherever he goes”. He adds that “all the information Putin receives comes only from people close to him. This is why he lives in a kind of information vacuum, which often leads him to question the reports of the Russian secret services”.
However, Gleb Karakulov denies the rumours about the Russian president’s supposed illness. According to him, “strict health protocols are applied in the Kremlin, but Putin is in good health. He is even in better health than many people his age”.