Mad is right, he seems upset and crazed. The Russian leader, long known for his conniving smarts and strategic moves, didn't go loopy overnight. His stoicism is legendary, his relationships are crafted, his history is telling. Madness alters judgement, madness creates delusions, madness don't compromise. Pragmatism is of secondary concern.
His two uncles were killed in WWII, his grandfather was the personal chef to Stalin and Lenin, he began Judo at age 12. Then, on to the KGB and the life of an inside operator until the Soviet collapse. The 1990's were the darkest days for the Russians since millions were killed by famine and Germans in the middle of last century. With all these grinds, he accumulated his stock of axes. He took over the first day of the century, promising to make Russia great again.
Guess the handshakes and summits didn't work, all the presidents, all the vice presidents, all the secretaries and senators. Wasted buffets, wasted tokens of appreciations, wasted time. It ended when the reptiles came to town with greasy pockets, cool guns, and slander bombs. That's when his madness began, that's when the red line was drawn, that's when his anger simmered. It's a mad, mad, mad, mad war.