Is Vladimir Putin the most despicable man of the modern age?

The new year rolled on with a chill in more ways than one. While a real battle was being waged by Israel and Hamas against one another in the Middle East, Russia made Europe shiver in its boots in one of the coldest winters in the modern era by shutting off the precious gas supply that reached Europe by pipelines in Ukraine.

Russia had accused Ukraine of stealing gas that passed through the Ukrainian soil. Ukraine, of course denied any kleptomaniac tendencies.

But the interesting thing is this -- when the Russians launched a war on Georgia on the day that the Olympic Games was launched in Beijing, China, in August last year, those of us not on the receiving end of the missiles, tank artillery and other destructive firepower were perversely fascinated by the precision-timing of the war. Here was the world at that time distracted by the Olympic games and the attack on Georgia was akin to a stealth attack on the unsuspecting in the quiet of the night. The whole world sat up momentarily and looked at Russia's action -- but the pull of the Olympics was far too great.

However, that assault on Georgia was also a time when the world saw hints of the real man behind the power structure of the Russian regime: Vladimir Putin. There's something mesmerizingly ruthless about the man. His is a mien of a man who can be utterly unfeeling in felling others. I suppose a solid KGB training would do that to any man.

Putin is the Prime Minister of Russia and Dmitry Medvedev is the President of Russia.

Now, with the recent gas crisis -- it is very clear that the man with God-like power in Russia IS Vladimir Putin, without any doubt whatsoever. Mevedev is merely his puppet, meant to do all of Putin's bidding. But guess what? No one likes Putin at all anymore. Neither do people find him even remotely charismatic or fascinating as a leader. Through his actions, he has simply come across as an evil man who is unscrupulous and deludes himself into thinking that the time to strike is either when the world is distracted or the people are brought down to their knees by something or another (like the cold did the Europeans in December-January).

What has really set me off against Putin is the brutal killing/assasination of journalists and human rights activists in Russia. Putin is downright despicable, as far as the world's intellectuals are concerned.

Photo caption: Vlad the Impaler -- is that you PUTIN on the Ritz?
Photo credit: picture of Vladimir Putin from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-486897/Head-Russian-secret-service-accuses-MI6-plotting-Putin.html