> Because only a psychopath kills or poisons political opposition. Poisoning opponents is actually customary in Russian politics. This isn't one man's psychiat

> Because only a psychopath kills or poisons political opposition. Poisoning opponents is actually customary in Russian politics. This isn't one man's psychiatric condition; it was Soviet policy. Stalin created units dedicated to the practice. Rasputin apparently survived a cyanide attempt. Ivan The Terrible poisoned three of his wives to death. Putin is an admirer of Russian customs; it's not surprising that he favours poison. It's easy for a layman to bandy-around terms like "psychopath". He may be a psychopath, for all I know; but I think it's much more likely that he's just a boring bureaucrat, promoted far beyond his abilities, and obsessed with a perverse view of Russian imperial history.