Believe it or not 😈🧠 | Putin… How does a man who never smiles think?
In this episode of the Believe It or Not series on Orven TV, we delve into the life of one of the most controversial figures of modern times: Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin.
His story begins with a harsh childhood in the impoverished slums of Leningrad after World War II, where a young boy grew up amidst the ruins of the Soviet empire, later becoming a man who shaped an entire nation in his own image.
From his earliest years, Putin was obsessed with power and discipline. He practiced judo, learning how to subdue his opponents silently, absorbing the mentality of a "one-hit victory." This spirit led him to the KGB, the agency that forged his cold, collected personality and taught him that politics is not about speeches, but about information, dossiers, and applying pressure at the opportune moment.
With the collapse of the Soviet Union, Putin didn't fall... he rose. He exploited the chaos, infiltrated the centers of power, and manipulated the game from behind the scenes until he suddenly found himself President of Russia. From the very first moment, he declared without hesitation: Russia will never again be humiliated. He began by dismantling centers of power, curtailing the influence of oligarchs, rebuilding the army, and redefining the media as a tool of the state, not an independent authority.
His wars were not random: Chechnya was an internal message delivered with fire and iron; Syria was the gateway to a return to the international stage; and Ukraine was the earthquake that shifted the global balance of power. This war revived the Cold War in a new guise, dividing the world between those who see him as defending his country's interests and those who see him as a threat to the international order.
Between sanctions, mysterious assassinations, exiled opposition figures, and the image of an unyielding "strongman," the question remains: Is Putin a product of his era or its creator? And can he be understood without understanding Russia itself?
Watch the entire episode, because what is said in the middle is more dangerous than what is said at the beginning, and what is understood at the end may change your perspective on history and politics forever.