I don't think anyone is seriously debating whether Putin is smart or dumb. Putin is clearly smart to rise to be the leader of Russia and hold power for over 22 years is no easy feat.
Just a normal guy with the right skills in the right place at the right time. Nothing is special about that we've seen this over and over again throught history as power is given by mediocrity not taken. All you need is to be just above average in the right circumstances with a hunger for power. Nothing special about that. The true smart people are usually the ones behind the curtains either controlling the strings or simply don't care about the play.
No one mentioned dumb. They were discussing if he was a 'good KGB agent', which was poorly defined. Both acknowledged repeatedly that he was a very talented politician.
Yeah, but he's not smart to make his country prosperous, even with unlimited money. Is is not rocket science to put your friends, relatives or devoted people to key positions in government and army. And it's not a big deal to kill or imprison opponents. I mean, a lot of people say that he is smart enough to be a rat but totally dumb to be a real leader and a good manager
He’s literally 100 & just that day learned that “lesson” bro i’m 10 years old and i learned that when i was 5 years old! You look old too! Stop being a sheep!
We don't know a ton about his time as a kgb agent, so I can't imagine he was that bad of one. My guess is that he wasn't one to push the envelope too much and was always able to position himself well so he never took the fall for stuff going wrong
Well, then you're right. As far as I remember, when he first came to power he was seen as level headed young smart dude, with no controversies. Best alternative to alcoholic Yeltsin.
As far as I understand it, he studied law and was an administrator in the KGB with the rank of an colonel, not an in the field agent. So I don't understand what the spin the Western media is, to frame him as an agent, it makes no sense.
@@matthiasblum6555 most of the cia is administration and desk jobs, if a former cia agent became president I would expect the Russian media to call them a former American spy. Same shit different media outlets
Sad that u.s. want war with russia so bad to get ukraine oil, spread all that propoganda about putin wish to rule over the world while in reality he is defending and trying to retrieve part of ukraine from zelencky. For those who dont know, easy search, ukraine have civil conflict from 2014 where part of it want to separate mainland and join russia, zelencky send his troops to shoot unarmed protestants 7 years ago, it even was in cnn news... Now suddenly when this oil crisis occurred zelencky is a hero and putin "invaded" ukraine where legally that parts
You should interview Yuri Shvets, who graduated from the same KGB institute as Putin, but unlike Putin he was stationed in Washington. He lives in the states, speaks perfect English and has a UA-cam channel.
Only Yuri Shvets, as well as a certain Kalugin, who is mentioned in this interview, were rejected by the system of "statesmen", and are associated with traitors to Russia. No wonder they live in an enemy state.
so he works for CIA,when a member of KGB betrays it means only 1 thing,everything they say they are forced to say/lie,happened to every oligarch/opposition that fled than later on were killed by mi6/CIA because they send apology letters to Putin,asking to return to Russia,later on one of the oligarchs was found hanged in London,Russia was blamed on it.Where are the Skripals too? Forced to spin that fake poisoning story when irl the whole town would be dead if it were true,even the cat survived and later on was killed to cover up that there was no poison trace. Skripal was living in UK for decades,there was no reason for Russia to do anything,he served his sentence and was exchanged to Russian spies. UK gov used his family,his whole family who is still in Russia admitted it,they pressured him to work against Russia or he will die and his daughter was captured by mi6 and put in coma to fake a poisoning,now no one knows if they are alive,they disappeared. THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS TO ALL TRAITORS TO RUSSIA,they are used as pawns. Why would USA give them millions of $ if they are no use.They are better of dead and blamed on Russia if they don't speak out publicly against Russia.
Lex shows good example of steel man in push back on Kalugin's opinion. Jack shows intelligent re-evaluation of his position based on point made by Lex. This is how good interviews are done. I will have to watch the whole interview. Great clip.
Too bad he didn't push back on Oliver Stone at all and just let him spew his Russian propaganda. It's pretty clear by now that Lex is very biased towards Russia and Putin.
Sad that u.s. want war with russia so bad to get ukraine oil, spread all that propoganda about putin wish to rule over the world while in reality he is defending and trying to retrieve part of ukraine from zelencky. For those who dont know, easy search, ukraine have civil conflict from 2014 where part of it want to separate mainland and join russia, zelencky send his troops to shoot unarmed protestants 7 years ago, it even was in cnn news... Now suddenly when this oil crisis occurred zelencky is a hero and putin "invaded" ukraine where legally that parts
One thing that's true of intelligence-gathering as well as any other workplace--people who get promoted aren't always the best at the job, and the best at the job aren't always the ones who get promoted. Highly-motivated, highly-talented intelligence officers don't usually last sixteen years like Putin did-a lot of them burn out in less than a decade because espionage is one of the most difficult, most stressful professions in the world.
You can see the conflict running behind Lex in this interview. Truly to be impartial in this type of scenario has to be very difficult to impossible in a interview. I tend to think only people who are truly impartial would have to be from a different world. Props to him as he attempts as most people won't even go that far.
truth is subjective... especially if he cant take a stance when asked about it. somebody that makes sense of things is one thing but a truthseeker can have bias and give you a front...
My father met him in Moscow after the fall of ussr. My father was secret service and went there with the president Al detail. He knew my mothers name and knew she just gave birth to me. Crazy to think of
What makes a 'good' KGB Agent? It's not all being covert or turning assets. Organizational skills are always useful, in EVERY job. If you're a plumber who has no organizational skills, even if you're the best plumber in the world, your results will be overpriced and take too long. I think this is drilling in at weird angles to get the result you're looking for.
"What makes a 'good' KGB Agent?" exactly! "Plumber" is already a way WAY more specific description than "KGB" Agent. Immagine saying "X is a bad Construktionworker becouse he doesnt elektric installation" not knowing that X is in fact a Bric Layer, so elektrics has nothing to do with his field
Yes, i'd agree. They are a totally different class and discipline that requires conpketely different skills. I'm also assuming that pitin did government law of some kind which doesn't say much either since he is way beyond that now
Bro Russia is literally one of the least developed countries in the world. Inflation is out of control, the world hates us, the healthcare system barely works and most people live in old Soviet era cramped houses. And things are only getting worse since he took Crimea from Ukraine. Putin is only competent at being an authoritarian dictator and killing anybody who speaks up against him. Don't talk about Putin if you don't know what it's like in russia
I disagree - Putin always works really hard to give him self a mysterious aura, I think he is a very good marketing person that tries to be seen as overly smart strategic person. That worked exceptionally well in the beginning when things where not going as expected he made a move and people believed it was part from the beginning. And this is how it works he doesn't makes mistakes he just makes moves we don't fully understand yet ;) But there is really good evidence against that, for example the soup of boiling shit now he got Russia and the whole world in. It's a mess, chaotic and deadly for russians, the reputation tanked, the economy in shambles great plan works better than expected...
No manches, bro. His flaws - few- make him mediocre lol and bland, at best. If you pay close attention, Lex ALWAYS protects his boyfriend’s character- Joe Rogan. Instead of being objective, he rationalizes and defends his boo thing at no end (see the episode where his black guest invokes the time Rogan referred to black people as Apes). Also, he’s always on an anti-socialist/Marxist trip. He’ll almost always bring that into conversation in bad faith, instead of being objective. And when his hosts correct him or provide some insight that contradict his rejection of the philosophies-- he rationalizes his position without accepting valid points (see the Joscha and Penrose episodes). Also, he’s a staunch capitalist, and commits denial behavior/rhetoric regardless if he’s proven wrong or contradicted (see his convos on American health care; you’ll see his naïveté and lack of knowledge on the subject, but projects supreme assurance). But when he talks about IT, AI, and topics that are relevant to his narrow field of expertise, he shines. But again, his perspectives on philosophy, politics, and the social sciences is no different than that of a undergrad student. He isn’t objective and broaches topics with a flawed agenda/narrative.
@@davefred you shut down my whole response, valid points, and supporting arguments with that pithy yet brilliant clap back. You’re def college educated. Me knows it.
Whether Putin was a good or bad kgb agent is moot. He discovered he was good at networking and getting in with the right people. Putin obviously has charisma. Like every boss while I was home watching T.V. he was doing something work related. His performance as a kgb agent was good enough to get him in the door with the big players. Someone thought e as good..
exactly! He got lucky to some degree - he got to be a personal drive for the mayor of St Petersburg, which lead to him being his deputy later and getting a ton of connections (and money). He made his name by working with western corporations - they would come to him complaining about red tape or rackets and he will clear the field for them to operate in Russia. It was both lucrative to him personally and showed him to be an effective organizer - being equally at home with Western executives, domestic politicians and the mafia and the criminal element.
If you hear Putin making speeches and giving interviews, it is easy to understand why he has had endured so much popularity and success in his own country. There is an easy tone, coherent and confident voice to him. Speaking very clear and direct.
Lex you were superb on this one. The gentleman remarked that poutin was not exceptional as an agent. This is likely true to the degree that in many fields the best are not promoted into positions where they are less effective. The "best agents" are too valuable in their positions in those key European countries he mentioned to ever reach leadership positions. What poutin did have was the necessary competence, ambition, and opportunity rise within his organisation. What is perhaps more significant is his ability to maintain in power for so long and effectively eliminate all competition.
The so called competition, eliminated themselves... We cheered when trojantrump said, "Lock her up", as she should have been but wasn't. But when someone should have been, and actually is, you say it was some kind of impropriety. Become a truth seeker: clear your head of your conditioning, begin to look at things more objectively, thinking for yourself and not just accepting the authorized narrative.
To do what Putin has done politically is arguably more impressive than anything any other world leader has done in recent history. It may have been brutal and unethical, but in terms of the sheer length of time he has remained in power, and the amount of influence he has exerted, he's impressive.
@@zoli11 yeah, I was going to mention Merkel too actually. Very impressive political achievement, especially in a democracy. I agree Putin shouldn't kill his political opponents and critics, but politics the world over is a dirty game, and until relatively recently was seen to be beyond the purview of regular morality. Frankly the suffering western politicians inflict on their own citizens and the rest of the world through their wars, trade deals and sanctions belongs only a little farther down the contiuum.. In fact you could probably make a half-decent case that the "play by the rules and don't assassinate your detractors" playbook is just lipstick on a pig, and really carries no moral weight in the grand scheme of our transgressions.
@@zoli11 Putins most important performance was to stabilize, modernise and improve Russia as a country. Post Sowjet Russia under Jelzin was a fucking trainwreck. He did a lot. It's just sad that he ruined his legacy with this stupid and brutal war.
@@jonmiller6703 yes Jon because so many past active agents told you that, or maybe you took it from the movies. A good amount of them work in the private sector where they make 20x more for their skillset. Almost nothing goes to waste and everything is monetized. This isn’t the 1960’s CIA…
He was an agent, he speaks fluently english and french and i think german, i know that he was because a family friend worked for the jugoslavian secret agency and told us he met him when putin was very young and at the beginning of his carrier in the kgb, but he also told us that putin is a machine, very intelligent he understands everything very quickly.
'Fluent' is a stretch. EDIT: it sure is easy for him to impress his fans. Here's a question for you, if he was so fluent, why was there a translator needed in the first place?
@@ccengineer5902 You LITTERALY HAD VIDEOS where Putin litteraly stoped translators bcs he heard via device that they wrongly translated stuff.If i remmeber correctly there were like 3-4 videos/times where Putin did that and if i remmmeber corretly there was once where Putin didnt correct the translator butt gave like mini laughing whe he heard how translator conveyed/translated Putins words.
He was smart enough to not outshine the KGB bosses and to not raise any eyebrows. He seemed good but not great . Smart move to keep rising in the government keeping a relative low profile until he got all the power. He is definitely evil and talented.
There is nothing surprising about Putin being a mediocre or even below average "agent", but possessing superior "managerial or executive" skills. I've witnessed this first hand in business, often times the people who end up on the top or near the top of the managerial pyramid are average or below average in "technical" skill. But, they have an innate ability to rise through the ranks via cunning, manipulation and outright lying if it's called for. "Shamelessness" is often a part of this package, and as we've seen with Trump, it works remarkably well.
I was just writing a similar comment. I think this actually made him a good handler, and there are several theories he was supporting terrorist groups like RAF. Providing weapons and no doubt motivation for them. Not that I want to compliment him, but there is no such thing as the intelligence officer, there are many roles and I think he is really good at intrigue and deception and capitalising on weakness. Very handy in the field and also in politics. But his age is showing and he is becoming ever more reckless.
Trump and putin are 2 different animals.🤣 putin isn't highly thought off but even given that I thunk most the world would feel it an unbelievable far fetched insult that they are in anyway had comparable come ups
Checkers isn't an easy game either. Look at the world, post pandemic he's struck a mortal blow and has stalked his prey, followed the blood trail watching his prey sit there bleeding, becoming weak waiting to finish it off, this had been year's in the making. China built a manufacturing powerhouse with American capital that America will never see again, while it racks up trade deficits with every nation and expands it's influence gains territory and controls supply chain's. Pretty damn scary.
Is that how you'd play chess? By saying you're not going to be playing chess. Despite sitting in the chair with all your pieces lined up? Because that's what he did in Ukraine. It's not a very sophisticated move. My five year old uses it to try to get a biscuit.
Much respect for a guy who literally accomplished nothing of Vlad's magnitude but still manage to tell the world of his "mediocrity"... This is the problem the west has with Poutine. Everyone's is mistaking him for an idiot! He might be crazy... but he's not an idiot!
@@71kimg That's not even the point. OP is a loudmouthing dope who knows F all about Putin's true reputation as a KGB informant. He just talks without any backing or knowledge of the matter. Putin could have been decent or supbar informant. These things happen all the time. Politicians with good mouth pieces make their way to the top.
He definitely is extremely intelligent and capable. What unnerves me the most about the west is that everyone is turning their spotlights onto putin only, completely ignoring the rest of the government cartell group.
He is deeply misunderstood in the west, and is more rooted in a comfortable authenticity the west cannot fathom. Western guilt falls on deaf ears, they have no history of black slavery, etc.
Exactly! He was extremely Intelligent and smart enough to make strong connections with the most powerful people of his time, rise to the top and became the most powerful man himself for more than 20 years! He might not be a "good" agent but he definitely had a politician brain from the start. I see him as the embodiment of Machiavellian idea. If this isn't enough evidence to prove his competence, i don't know what is. Still the west is so blind in their superiority complex to underestimate him.
@@Friendznco Yuri was spot on about what he was talking about. Ideology was the big bread and butter of the KGB. Only a small percentage was actually spying.
@@humansvd3269 and till to this day KGB successor, FSB heavily relies on spreading Kremlin agenda and fighting for the minds of western folk, than on some sort of James bond or mission impossible type of stuff
It doesn’t even really matter at this point whether Putin was a “good” or competent agent. In hindsight his time with the department was purely a vehicle for him to use during his rise to power.
I thank the lord to find this podcast. The way he's asking questions, keeping the line of talking, my God! Not even a xanax could make sleep faster than listening to this dude. My sleep schedule is fixed, keep up the good work talking like this man! You saved me from my sleep deprivation!
I don't know how he was as an agent except for the story about him facing a crowd outside the Russian ambassy when the Berlin wall fell inj 89 where he showed exceptional composure But as a politician i've seen him on videos giving speech lasting hours in front of large audiences such as at the SPIEF or other times in front of smaller selected audiences or one on one on all kinds of subjects & he always expressed himself with intelligence & demonstrated he was in controlled of his dossiers & could answer at lenght to just about any questions he was asked sometimes out of the blue I consider him the most impressive politician & Statement i've seen in my adult life going back 5 decades The men is also considered a working horse & he's dedicated to his task as President or PM in the past I would extrapolate those qualities to the time he worked for the KGB One thing he's not is a "yes man" & i believe that will play against anyone in org like the KGB or the CIA & the Pentagon I also believe he's a man of integrity & that's not always something seen favoribly in some org He's a team man & i believe he's faithfull to his associates & friends What he did as leader of Russia after the mess caused by Yeltsin the US & Europe is outstanding he brought Russia from a failed bankrupt State to a country withstanding the full onslaught of Western economic Sanctions & a full out proxy war by NATO using Nazi Fanatics & turning the table on all of them both economicaly & militarily That speaks volume about the man !
The amount of brainwashing in your comment is genuinely sad. I can't even insult you, I just feel bad for you. Jesus christ, it's like reading a letter from a North Korean general talking about his Mister President Hard-working Alpha-boss leader Kim-jong-un. I'd argue what you wrote, but it's about as hopeless as trying to explain science to a religious nut.
@@digitalzeth1582 You talk like someone who thinks he's exceptional all that based on your ignorance You talk like the average american who thinks he knows it all & stand on higher moral ground because the country he lives in can kill millions of people without facing the consequences such as dropping nuclear bombs on Hiroshima & Nagazaki & going on afterwards killing 2 million Koreans then on to destroy Vietnam based on a False Flag made up by the Pentagon & repeating the same BS in Irak to kill 2 millions more But that's not all of course there was also Afghanistan Lybia Syria Yemen Soudan Somalia & countless others across the planet where America stood with Fascist dictatorships & military juntas like it stands now with the nazi regime the State Dep CIA & members of Congress like McCain Graham & others installed in Ukraine in 2014 Yea really look who's brainwashed here believing God stands by all those murders the US empire commited since WW2 You're right out of a marvel comics book & it seems that,s all you've been reading in the course of your life judging by your ignorant comment Take a hike kid !
Putin is a good guy compared to Russia previous leaders .... and it's not like US never started unjust war with another nation. Honestly this scenario with NATO and Ukraine reminds me Cuban missile crysis but sides swaped
Putin was not an "agent," he was a KGB OFFICER. Officers of intelligence agencies recruit and handle agents. Most officers (of any intelligence agency) are not sufficiently fluent in any language (other than their mother tongue) to truly fit in in a foreign society. (It does not matter how "fluent" you are, how many "years" you have studied, or how high you scored on a test. If you did not grow up in a particular culture, speaking a certain language or dialect, you will NEVER fit in.) In those societies in which one's race would stand out (for example, a white intelligence officer in China) intelligence officers must recruit resident agents (for our example, a Chinese resident agent) to run other agents so that a "white officer" is not seen meeting a Chinese agent. Of course, for the purposes of compartmentalization, if your agency has many agents in a foreign country, many resident agents would have to be recruited so that no one resident agent -- if arrested -- could betray your entire network of sources. James Bond and Jason Bourne movies do not provide you with the background details you need to be able to comprehend the basics of the tradecraft (agent recruitment, agent handling, etc.) associated with espionage work. It is part art, part science. and often a great deal of luck -- some of it bad.
The guys who were stationed in East Germany were of mediocre intellect. He was good at playing office politics...in particular, cozying up to the mayor of St. Petersburg and becoming his right-hand man. This is how Putin started his political career. He weasled his way in.
@@ottersirotten4290 East Germany wasn't frontline for KGB or GRU. West Germany, Austria or Swissland was frontline for German speaking agents. All he did was spying on Soviet citizens in East Germany. So he was basically snitch, that's all. Btw in Soviet Union when you retired you get promoted by one rank, so he was not even colonel of KGB before retirement.
if they say a particular agent was BAD....i believe tht agent has already cemented his grounds clean and is VERY GOOD to a point others didn't bother him.
Putin was a lawyer for the KGB, nothing more, nothing less. The CIA has lawyers as well, they aren’t considered “agents”. Putin was a logistics guy first, so he served in logistics positions, station chief being a good example of one. East Germany was active, there were plenty of American agents poking into East Germany. They didn’t tend to stay long that’s for sure. Much respect to this gentleman, but as a field agent he would’ve been in the dark about a lot of things including the goings-on back behind the Iron Curtain. He’s a humble man and he admits it, humility is how real men cope.
CIA aren't much of anything are they? Other than organized crime. They never really had field agents for ops, just pay locals for info. Their only skill is bribery.
He was not a lawyer,he studied international law... What they called international law course in erstwhile Soviet Union is what we would have called in western countries Diplomatic studies and International political science.
@@louielogicsxxx3669 Something along the lines of preserving and protecting the Soviet Union. So even though he may be "acting out of self interest" right now, he's still staying true to his oath. He's wishes to restore the glory and power of the Soviet Union. He's quite simple to understand actually.
Do you think every popular singer on the radio is the most technically skilled singer and writer in the world? Or that every Hollywood star is the best actor? Being a politician is about having the right connections,now could putin use his skill he learned to position himself the right way? Yes,but you don't actually know that.
@@RANDO4743 Yes, as usual you are being naively positive biased..... You can be good at being a Nurse or Painter or Plumber .. not as a KGB agent ha ha!. No, if you work in the world of subterfuge then getting to the very top is more than ample proof of your "abilities"
@@coolmacatrain9434 no it's not because they aren't directly related.Many good and successful politicians never had spy experience.Not only that I literally said that *could* be the case,but there is no evidence.
I had a couple of classmates in school who were not good students. They ended up having their own successful businesses, and in a way, they are way more successful in most life's sectors (family, finance, etc) than the best of the class are. Demeaning someone and making fun of his past, means we do not believe people can change/improve their skills/character. Say whatever you want about Putin, but I believe it is a very difficult job to govern such a huge country.
Jesus christ what is this logic. Everybody and their own grandmother know putin is not some idiot, ofc he developed some great skill, if hes not, he wouldnt be the president of russia. Thats not the point, he kill people he declare war against smaller country, thats why. Lmfao this is what 15 year old kid who just watch bunch of badass character on netflix type of logic. "oH heS bAd bUt HEs SmArT". Thats how stupid ur opinion sounds like.
The best field agents, don't necessarily make the best supervisors and managers. Sometimes, in my two IC agencies that I worked in, agents who were mediocre in the field, seemed to often find their calling once they were put in charge of things and other agents, instead of cases and suspects. And, a lot of the best agents just wanted to be left alone to do their thing, and really had no interest at all in moving into management. For the really good, it was almost like their calling or religion to work in the field, and they didn't give it up easily.
People who get to leadership positions inside of institutions are not always the "best" of their ilk. They are good enough. But the greater skill is that of improving their position. Something that "the best" often don't have while being incentivized to maximally employ their expertise - think technicians, engineers, spies, lawyers, doctors who then become executives/administrators/politicians. The CEO who "started in the mail room" probably wasn't the best mail sorter but they were more motivated and socially competent.
If you've ever worked a day in the life you would know this: You can be a crappy whatever (nurse, firefighter, desk job person, drive thru person ..) but because of personality disorders, strength of character, lack of personality boundaries (psychopathic traits), strong narcissism etc ... You can make it to the top like Putin. A good fsb agent may not make it to Putin's level because he or she lacks the ruthlessness to scheme, fight and manipulate or jockey to the top.
That notion if fueled by envy, in the same vein as poor people thinking "all rich people are greedy and evil". There are a lot of reasons why people succeed, and it's usually because people like to be around them, so they are good at building networks and obtaining loyalty from people with very little effort or investment. To associate that with "psychopathic traits" is offensive.
@@TB-ni4ur yeah, I hear you. But this context relates to Putin. Ask all those people that he's murdered, poisoned, made to disappear ... You think it would be offensive to them? You think Trump got to where he got by cultivating positive and wholesome relationships and creating pure driven snow loyalty? C'mon, get your head out of the clouds.
He was extremely Intelligent and smart enough to make strong connections with the most powerful people of his time, rise to the top and became the most powerful man himself for more than 20 years! He might not be a "good" agent but he definitely had a political intellect from the start. I see him as the embodiment of Machiavellian idea. If this isn't enough evidence to prove his competence, i don't know what is. Still the west is so blind in their superiority complex to underestimate him.
Putin is a exceptional politician. He is leading the worlds most hard ruled and corrupt country. Imagine the organizational skills needed. However he is logical, cold and very calculated.
I don't understand why he has to be the one to judge whether he is a good agent or not, when in reality he himself was a low level agent as he was German. The Soviet Union would never have sent one of its compatriots to the USA, at least first choice
I know people who were top of their class and are stuck in a dead end job.. I know people who were slackers and stoners who changed their life around. Being a good student is rarely an indicator of success. Its more like imagination, ambition, street smarts, Emotional IQ and other factors which make the difference.
Putin is a fantastic leader. He's not flawless, but he honestly tries to look after his people, economy, and their assets. Proof of his success is glaringly bright now.. 🕊️❤️🐨
I think jack barsky giving interview about Kgb with lex while Putin currently running the russia should tell us that jack has got the statement wrong about Putin not being a good agent
That he wouldn't question if the kgb head that told him about putin would have motives of his own is telling. The more confident someone is in their abilities the less they question their own sources.
This seems like a weird argument from Lex. I understand the gist of his general point but being a good kgb agent and being able to rise through the ranks of a political organization aren’t mutually exclusive traits. Barsky even says he had a different set of skills. Its like everyone needs top political figures to be some sort of shadow mastermind instead of someone who is literally and somewhat simply shameless and ruthless and organized.
There's a Chinese saying that goes like "The talented, take longer to mature". Not sure if that applies to Putin. His rise was likely a mix of luck and being suited to the task. He also seems rather different today from the man he was when he was young. It's honestly kinda difficult to see how that kid became the Putin of today.
You right about the people need to drop all the things we were told as children towards getting older for what is right and wrong. It's judged through politics, religion, etc. instead of following what's wrong and right as in being a good human being that knows what real right and wrong is about
Well, sometimes in systems of power like the one installed in soviet Russia, talent isn't something that is premiered and rewarded. For someone out of their depth, people of talent and charisma is a threat to your position. Hence, a spiral of incompetence is put in motion, where as untalented people recruit untalented people and together in power. You see this in large western organisations as well where oligopols are formed. Old and lazy who keep doing what they've always done. Look at the people in charge at the Chernobyl power plant and in the city of Chernobyl, former shoe-store managers that became incompetent high ranking officials, most likely because the one recruited them wanted to stay safe in their position, not usurped by anyone else
If you want to get an idea of who put in is, or at least how he presents, it's no mystery. He talks at length on all sorts of topics in long form interviews, all available online. He's quite smart, from my understanding he's also violent and ruthless.
an agent who is a good organizer, speaks the language is not someone I would send abroad but keep behind to line to verify what others are sending back. Also, if he is a good politician aka making connections and friends, is that not what a good agent should be able to?
Definitely comes across as the antagonist character in spy movies who’s back at the office giving the field agent a hard time, always thinking about the power game.
makes sense, same way as you do not have to be bets salesman in order to be a sales team leader. Different skills. So in kgb, you do not have to be best skilled spy in order to be a top manager.
I just find it questionable that he wasn’t a good agent. If you were not impressive why would I mention you outside of our trainings. He probably just scared people that were also wanting to climb through the ranks. Just like he said its politics.
My grandpa met Putin in Moscow just after the collapse of the Soviet Union. My grandpa made a joke about him and Putin leaned in and whispered in his ear, telling him his wife’s name, address, and where she was at that given moment. My grandpa was completely taken back and started shaking in fear. He apologised to Putin immediately. Putin pointed at him and said “Don’t let me catch you around here again”. My grandpa took the next flight back home and never went back to Russia.
George Orwell would be proud of Putin. Putin made a comment a couple of days ago about Ukraine committing crimes against humanity. I have recently questioned if he ever felt to be the Russian James Bond.
Well Jack Barsky was sleeper agent and was allowed to live in US after it became known so there is just no way for him to be objective if he wants his status to stay the same. (Still interesting quest)
@@robbiekop7 exactly Putin transformed Russia for the better. Americans have this misconception that he's a dictator oppressing his people. lol how naive. Russia is a resource rich land. America wants a weak dumbo in charge of Russia for this reason
Well without a doubt he’s good at making his people and his country priority #1 and as an 🇺🇸 our country would be in better shape with a leader like Putin than the sellout we have calling the shots right now.
@@rayquaza1245 And the one we have now isn’t along with the majority of our our elected and unelected leadership? They’ve sold us out and if there’s an argument to be made as to Putin making Russia a prosperous country under his watch I’m more than willing to listen.
His military has been decimated and NATO has grown and solidified and Putin will likely be assinated....China could take over part of Russia right now. .....I don't think Putin has been good for his country
My personal feelings on that question are predicated on two axioms: 1 - We will by definition never have a complete or verifiable accounting of his time in the KGB. 2 - How do you define "a good KGB agent"? I think, if we take it in terms of being an Agent, being a person with agency in an attempt to serve the interests and well-being of the State, then Putin's been a very good Agent; especially when you consider that under Yeltsin, Russia was an absolute joke... just as its enemies wanted it to be... which is why those same people dislike Putin now, because whatever you want to say about him, it's undeniable that Putin's made Russia stronger than his predecessor did.
There is a difference of working off a lie and believing a lie. For instance, the U.S. government knew fairly early that the majority of South Vietnamese backed the North Vietnamese. The North Vietnamese were always going to win, but the politicians didn't want it to happen on their watch. The same could be said about the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan. Putin and his top brass have believed too many lies and this is what has got Russia into trouble.
Jeez Lex being ineffective at one’s job is a great way to be promoted. Many if not most higher-ups prefer the non-threatening “yes man” over someone who’s actually capable of contributing.
Interesting take. On the other hand one could argue that his invasion of Ukraine was a prime example of both losing his temper and making a gaffe - on an even larger scale than either Trump or Biden.
@@simonscowled9925 Yeah Putin just straight up steals money from his own poor citizens who already suffer in deplorable conditions. Why are you comparing a dictator to 2 us presidents who competed fairly in a democratic election?
Putins calling was not that of a KGB agent. That's why he left that position. He's calling is that of a leader. And that's why he is a better president than agent
Yeah he might not have been the James Bond of the KGB, but that was never his goal, his goal was much grander and he was way too smart to just be an agent, he wanted to Run the KGB/FSB and run Russia, become a face on the international stage, and he's achieved all of it.
@@ottersirotten4290 It's irrelevant if he was any good at the task he was assigned in the KGB, what's relevant is he made his way through the ranks to the very top, and stayed there. Like i said before, his ambition transended being a mere agent for an agency, he wanted to be top dog and run his country, and he achieved it.
I don't think anyone is seriously debating whether Putin is smart or dumb. Putin is clearly smart to rise to be the leader of Russia and hold power for over 22 years is no easy feat.
Why does this slavic communist terrorist get a platform but patriots like Trump get censored??
He may have a longer reign than the past Russian autocrats since the days of the Revolution.
Just a normal guy with the right skills in the right place at the right time. Nothing is special about that we've seen this over and over again throught history as power is given by mediocrity not taken. All you need is to be just above average in the right circumstances with a hunger for power. Nothing special about that. The true smart people are usually the ones behind the curtains either controlling the strings or simply don't care about the play.
No one mentioned dumb. They were discussing if he was a 'good KGB agent', which was poorly defined. Both acknowledged repeatedly that he was a very talented politician.
Yeah, but he's not smart to make his country prosperous, even with unlimited money. Is is not rocket science to put your friends, relatives or devoted people to key positions in government and army. And it's not a big deal to kill or imprison opponents. I mean, a lot of people say that he is smart enough to be a rat but totally dumb to be a real leader and a good manager
Wow, I was impressed by Jack Barsky openness when he said directly "You have just gave me a good lesson". He would be brilliant person for a chat.
He’s literally 100 & just that day learned that “lesson” bro i’m 10 years old and i learned that when i was 5 years old! You look old too! Stop being a sheep!
“Just gave” is terrible grammar.
@@turbolevo8703 just gave is bad gramer
Why does this slavic communist terrorist get a platform but patriots like Trump get censored??
@@turbolevo8703 brev, is that really what u got out of what he said 😂
We don't know a ton about his time as a kgb agent, so I can't imagine he was that bad of one. My guess is that he wasn't one to push the envelope too much and was always able to position himself well so he never took the fall for stuff going wrong
Well, then you're right. As far as I remember, when he first came to power he was seen as level headed young smart dude, with no controversies. Best alternative to alcoholic Yeltsin.
As far as I understand it, he studied law and was an administrator in the KGB with the rank of an colonel, not an in the field agent. So I don't understand what the spin the Western media is, to frame him as an agent, it makes no sense.
@@matthiasblum6555 most of the cia is administration and desk jobs, if a former cia agent became president I would expect the Russian media to call them a former American spy. Same shit different media outlets
Sad that u.s. want war with russia so bad to get ukraine oil, spread all that propoganda about putin wish to rule over the world while in reality he is defending and trying to retrieve part of ukraine from zelencky. For those who dont know, easy search, ukraine have civil conflict from 2014 where part of it want to separate mainland and join russia, zelencky send his troops to shoot unarmed protestants 7 years ago, it even was in cnn news... Now suddenly when this oil crisis occurred zelencky is a hero and putin "invaded" ukraine where legally that parts
He was a paper pusher, that says a lot
You should interview Yuri Shvets, who graduated from the same KGB institute as Putin, but unlike Putin he was stationed in Washington. He lives in the states, speaks perfect English and has a UA-cam channel.
Only Yuri Shvets, as well as a certain Kalugin, who is mentioned in this interview, were rejected by the system of "statesmen", and are associated with traitors to Russia. No wonder they live in an enemy state.
Shvets never graduated with Putin. Hes all career is a lie with sole purpose to be on ukranian talk shows.
so he works for CIA,when a member of KGB betrays it means only 1 thing,everything they say they are forced to say/lie,happened to every oligarch/opposition that fled than later on were killed by mi6/CIA because they send apology letters to Putin,asking to return to Russia,later on one of the oligarchs was found hanged in London,Russia was blamed on it.Where are the Skripals too? Forced to spin that fake poisoning story when irl the whole town would be dead if it were true,even the cat survived and later on was killed to cover up that there was no poison trace. Skripal was living in UK for decades,there was no reason for Russia to do anything,he served his sentence and was exchanged to Russian spies. UK gov used his family,his whole family who is still in Russia admitted it,they pressured him to work against Russia or he will die and his daughter was captured by mi6 and put in coma to fake a poisoning,now no one knows if they are alive,they disappeared. THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS TO ALL TRAITORS TO RUSSIA,they are used as pawns. Why would USA give them millions of $ if they are no use.They are better of dead and blamed on Russia if they don't speak out publicly against Russia.
Do you actually believe that? Stop being a sheep. He probably is a MURICAM CIA . Site your sources sheep boy
Also, he’s a clown
Lex shows good example of steel man in push back on Kalugin's opinion. Jack shows intelligent re-evaluation of his position based on point made by Lex. This is how good interviews are done. I will have to watch the whole interview. Great clip.
Too bad he didn't push back on Oliver Stone at all and just let him spew his Russian propaganda. It's pretty clear by now that Lex is very biased towards Russia and Putin.
Sad that u.s. want war with russia so bad to get ukraine oil, spread all that propoganda about putin wish to rule over the world while in reality he is defending and trying to retrieve part of ukraine from zelencky. For those who dont know, easy search, ukraine have civil conflict from 2014 where part of it want to separate mainland and join russia, zelencky send his troops to shoot unarmed protestants 7 years ago, it even was in cnn news... Now suddenly when this oil crisis occurred zelencky is a hero and putin "invaded" ukraine where legally that parts
Why does this slavic communist terrorist get a platform but patriots like Trump get censored??
One thing that's true of intelligence-gathering as well as any other workplace--people who get promoted aren't always the best at the job, and the best at the job aren't always the ones who get promoted. Highly-motivated, highly-talented intelligence officers don't usually last sixteen years like Putin did-a lot of them burn out in less than a decade because espionage is one of the most difficult, most stressful professions in the world.
You can see the conflict running behind Lex in this interview. Truly to be impartial in this type of scenario has to be very difficult to impossible in a interview. I tend to think only people who are truly impartial would have to be from a different world. Props to him as he attempts as most people won't even go that far.
respect to Jack as well for retracting the certainty of his statement
Ask him out already beta male
@@nastynas9610 tf, really showed him on the internet behind a screen
Why does this slavic communist terrorist get a platform but patriots like Trump get censored??
Hes not partial hes just slow
You are on the right path Lex with your determination to discover truth. Truth is the key to civilizational progress.
truth is subjective... especially if he cant take a stance when asked about it. somebody that makes sense of things is one thing but a truthseeker can have bias and give you a front...
What specific truth are we talking about? I don’t see anything about it. 7 min talking about trying to be impartial. Anything new?
My father met him in Moscow after the fall of ussr. My father was secret service and went there with the president Al detail. He knew my mothers name and knew she just gave birth to me. Crazy to think of
Lmao
He might be your real father 😏
Cmon bro… 🙄
@@smoke4824 lol
That’s crazy af and awesome
What makes a 'good' KGB Agent? It's not all being covert or turning assets. Organizational skills are always useful, in EVERY job. If you're a plumber who has no organizational skills, even if you're the best plumber in the world, your results will be overpriced and take too long. I think this is drilling in at weird angles to get the result you're looking for.
"What makes a 'good' KGB Agent?" exactly!
"Plumber" is already a way WAY more specific description than "KGB" Agent.
Immagine saying "X is a bad Construktionworker becouse he doesnt elektric installation" not knowing that X is in fact a Bric Layer, so elektrics has nothing to do with his field
Yes, i'd agree. They are a totally different class and discipline that requires conpketely different skills. I'm also assuming that pitin did government law of some kind which doesn't say much either since he is way beyond that now
show me a western politician with the competency of Putin, ill wait.... whats up with our politicians is outragous, they workin against us constantly
Oh yes, how competent to invade Ukraine and and get beaten lol.
Bro Russia is literally one of the least developed countries in the world. Inflation is out of control, the world hates us, the healthcare system barely works and most people live in old Soviet era cramped houses. And things are only getting worse since he took Crimea from Ukraine.
Putin is only competent at being an authoritarian dictator and killing anybody who speaks up against him. Don't talk about Putin if you don't know what it's like in russia
I could show you dozens
@@markymark7803 a battle doesn't make a war. Just ask the politicians that got us into Vietnam and lost lmao
@@TheGanjologist It's a war aka many battles and Putin is losing lol
I think Putin is a very intelligent man. A lot of his speeches actually do make sense from his point of view .
Exactly, but 99% of people refuse to even listen to him
You’ve been a brainwashed
Dude has a wildly warped mind and perspective. He sounds smart half the time. While also sounding insufferably stupid at other times.
I disagree - Putin always works really hard to give him self a mysterious aura, I think he is a very good marketing person that tries to be seen as overly smart strategic person. That worked exceptionally well in the beginning when things where not going as expected he made a move and people believed it was part from the beginning. And this is how it works he doesn't makes mistakes he just makes moves we don't fully understand yet ;) But there is really good evidence against that, for example the soup of boiling shit now he got Russia and the whole world in. It's a mess, chaotic and deadly for russians, the reputation tanked, the economy in shambles great plan works better than expected...
Lmfao word if you want to take over the wolrd
Lex you're a great interviewer, it is the first time I watch your show, keep it up man!
No manches, bro. His flaws - few- make him mediocre lol and bland, at best. If you pay close attention, Lex ALWAYS protects his boyfriend’s character- Joe Rogan. Instead of being objective, he rationalizes and defends his boo thing at no end (see the episode where his black guest invokes the time Rogan referred to black people as Apes). Also, he’s always on an anti-socialist/Marxist trip. He’ll almost always bring that into conversation in bad faith, instead of being objective. And when his hosts correct him or provide some insight that contradict his rejection of the philosophies-- he rationalizes his position without accepting valid points (see the Joscha and Penrose episodes). Also, he’s a staunch capitalist, and commits denial behavior/rhetoric regardless if he’s proven wrong or contradicted (see his convos on American health care; you’ll see his naïveté and lack of knowledge on the subject, but projects supreme assurance). But when he talks about IT, AI, and topics that are relevant to his narrow field of expertise, he shines. But again, his perspectives on philosophy, politics, and the social sciences is no different than that of a undergrad student. He isn’t objective and broaches topics with a flawed agenda/narrative.
@@davefred LOL
Why does this slavic communist terrorist get a platform but patriots like Trump get censored??
@@davefred you shut down my whole response, valid points, and supporting arguments with that pithy yet brilliant clap back. You’re def college educated. Me knows it.
@@cuervos69 Tl;dr. Take your meds, skitzo.
Whether Putin was a good or bad kgb agent is moot. He discovered he was good at networking and getting in with the right people. Putin obviously has charisma. Like every boss while I was home watching T.V. he was doing something work related. His performance as a kgb agent was good enough to get him in the door with the big players. Someone thought e as good..
@Kamil S You copy and pasted this statement from someone else in a different comment. Literal NPC behavior.
Npc weirdo
exactly! He got lucky to some degree - he got to be a personal drive for the mayor of St Petersburg, which lead to him being his deputy later and getting a ton of connections (and money). He made his name by working with western corporations - they would come to him complaining about red tape or rackets and he will clear the field for them to operate in Russia. It was both lucrative to him personally and showed him to be an effective organizer - being equally at home with Western executives, domestic politicians and the mafia and the criminal element.
If you hear Putin making speeches and giving interviews, it is easy to understand why he has had endured so much popularity and success in his own country. There is an easy tone, coherent and confident voice to him. Speaking very clear and direct.
Lex you were superb on this one. The gentleman remarked that poutin was not exceptional as an agent. This is likely true to the degree that in many fields the best are not promoted into positions where they are less effective. The "best agents" are too valuable in their positions in those key European countries he mentioned to ever reach leadership positions.
What poutin did have was the necessary competence, ambition, and opportunity rise within his organisation. What is perhaps more significant is his ability to maintain in power for so long and effectively eliminate all competition.
Poutin is a shit Canadian dish.
Say poutin. One. More. Fucking. Time.
@@Luixxxd1 p-
@@Luixxxd1 😂😂😂
The so called competition, eliminated themselves... We cheered when trojantrump said, "Lock her up", as she should have been but wasn't. But when someone should have been, and actually is, you say it was some kind of impropriety. Become a truth seeker: clear your head of your conditioning, begin to look at things more objectively, thinking for yourself and not just accepting the authorized narrative.
Lex doing his best William F. Buckley impression in this interview.
To do what Putin has done politically is arguably more impressive than anything any other world leader has done in recent history. It may have been brutal and unethical, but in terms of the sheer length of time he has remained in power, and the amount of influence he has exerted, he's impressive.
While I hate her politically Angela Merkel managed the same - but in a democracy without a mafia killing off opposition
@@zoli11 yeah, I was going to mention Merkel too actually. Very impressive political achievement, especially in a democracy. I agree Putin shouldn't kill his political opponents and critics, but politics the world over is a dirty game, and until relatively recently was seen to be beyond the purview of regular morality. Frankly the suffering western politicians inflict on their own citizens and the rest of the world through their wars, trade deals and sanctions belongs only a little farther down the contiuum.. In fact you could probably make a half-decent case that the "play by the rules and don't assassinate your detractors" playbook is just lipstick on a pig, and really carries no moral weight in the grand scheme of our transgressions.
@@zoli11 Putins most important performance was to stabilize, modernise and improve Russia as a country. Post Sowjet Russia under Jelzin was a fucking trainwreck. He did a lot. It's just sad that he ruined his legacy with this stupid and brutal war.
@@sekwar Transgressions?
After your logic, Kim Jong Un (Or the whole dynasty) is even more impressive.
Imagine taking anything a "former" intelligence operative has to say at face value.
@@jonmiller6703 yes Jon because so many past active agents told you that, or maybe you took it from the movies. A good amount of them work in the private sector where they make 20x more for their skillset. Almost nothing goes to waste and everything is monetized. This isn’t the 1960’s CIA…
Imagine comparing spy characters in movies to real life people
Nice cliche comment though
The KGB doesn’t exist anymore. Who’s he working for now the Russian government? Please, give me a break🤣
I don't think anyone here is taking the guy at face value. Just sayin'
He was an agent, he speaks fluently english and french and i think german, i know that he was because a family friend worked for the jugoslavian secret agency and told us he met him when putin was very young and at the beginning of his carrier in the kgb, but he also told us that putin is a machine, very intelligent he understands everything very quickly.
'Fluent' is a stretch.
EDIT: it sure is easy for him to impress his fans.
Here's a question for you, if he was so fluent, why was there a translator needed in the first place?
@@ccengineer5902 have you heard him speak?
@@ccengineer5902 He used to correct the translators when they were trying to translate what he said to French or German. There are videos of this
@@ccengineer5902 You LITTERALY HAD VIDEOS where Putin litteraly stoped translators bcs he heard via device that they wrongly translated stuff.If i remmeber correctly there were like 3-4 videos/times where Putin did that and if i remmmeber corretly there was once where Putin didnt correct the translator butt gave like mini laughing whe he heard how translator conveyed/translated Putins words.
Was that really Putin singing "Blueberry Hill?" Красивая песнья!
Yes, politician have to be excellent at lying. Most can easily be detected now a days. How? Their lips move.
He was smart enough to not outshine the KGB bosses and to not raise any eyebrows. He seemed good but not great . Smart move to keep rising in the government keeping a relative low profile until he got all the power. He is definitely evil and talented.
Nah you just a sheep.
Man. Lex Friedman is a smart ass.
You don’t have to be good - just survive.
all about survival
hmm, you have to at least try and make better (therefor be good) while surviving tho, no?
Lex you sir are an awesome non-bias interviewer!
There is nothing surprising about Putin being a mediocre or even below average "agent", but possessing superior "managerial or executive" skills.
I've witnessed this first hand in business, often times the people who end up on the top or near the top of the managerial pyramid are average or below average in "technical" skill.
But, they have an innate ability to rise through the ranks via cunning, manipulation and outright lying if it's called for. "Shamelessness" is often a part of this package, and as we've seen
with Trump, it works remarkably well.
I was just writing a similar comment. I think this actually made him a good handler, and there are several theories he was supporting terrorist groups like RAF. Providing weapons and no doubt motivation for them. Not that I want to compliment him, but there is no such thing as the intelligence officer, there are many roles and I think he is really good at intrigue and deception and capitalising on weakness.
Very handy in the field and also in politics. But his age is showing and he is becoming ever more reckless.
LOVE THE POEPEL WHO SAY STUFF TYRING TO LOOK SMART WHEN THEY KNOW NOTHING ABOSLUTELY NOTHING ABOUT A PERSON BUT GO BY HEARSAY.
@@goranstojanov1160 Loud diarrhea sounds from this guys brain.
Trump and putin are 2 different animals.🤣 putin isn't highly thought off but even given that I thunk most the world would feel it an unbelievable far fetched insult that they are in anyway had comparable come ups
Sounds like your describing a certain tribe
Putin playing chess while the rest of the world is playing checkers........
Checkers isn't an easy game either.
Look at the world, post pandemic he's struck a mortal blow and has stalked his prey, followed the blood trail watching his prey sit there bleeding, becoming weak waiting to finish it off, this had been year's in the making.
China built a manufacturing powerhouse with American capital that America will never see again, while it racks up trade deficits with every nation and expands it's influence gains territory and controls supply chain's.
Pretty damn scary.
Is that how you'd play chess? By saying you're not going to be playing chess. Despite sitting in the chair with all your pieces lined up? Because that's what he did in Ukraine. It's not a very sophisticated move. My five year old uses it to try to get a biscuit.
@Markus Jackson Are you Russian? In English we use the definite article. I know in Russia they don't.
Much respect for a guy who literally accomplished nothing of Vlad's magnitude but still manage to tell the world of his "mediocrity"...
This is the problem the west has with Poutine. Everyone's is mistaking him for an idiot! He might be crazy... but he's not an idiot!
So since you comment - you have accomplished something similar or greater than Vlad?
@@71kimg That's not even the point. OP is a loudmouthing dope who knows F all about Putin's true reputation as a KGB informant. He just talks without any backing or knowledge of the matter.
Putin could have been decent or supbar informant. These things happen all the time. Politicians with good mouth pieces make their way to the top.
He definitely is extremely intelligent and capable. What unnerves me the most about the west is that everyone is turning their spotlights onto putin only, completely ignoring the rest of the government cartell group.
He is deeply misunderstood in the west, and is more rooted in a comfortable authenticity the west cannot fathom. Western guilt falls on deaf ears, they have no history of black slavery, etc.
Exactly! He was extremely Intelligent and smart enough to make strong connections with the most powerful people of his time, rise to the top and became the most powerful man himself for more than 20 years!
He might not be a "good" agent but he definitely had a politician brain from the start. I see him as the embodiment of Machiavellian idea.
If this isn't enough evidence to prove his competence, i don't know what is.
Still the west is so blind in their superiority complex to underestimate him.
To be a good politician or statesman you have to understand history . Putin understands history.
You would know. I mean you guys went to different highschools together.
Or in other words, he is an old fuck now and fetishizes the past.
You have to have ZERO soul also...or moral...and empathy...and thats just to be a small player in the R vs D pretend boardgame.
@@Dhardy316 you can say "0 soul" etc etc about any politician. Including our president present and past.
@@jacknorris3784 yah, and?
This guy also "discredited" Yuri Bezmenov in the same episode, use CAUTION in believing anything he is telling you.
Yuri is cia/mi6,all of them are,traitors always work for other agencies otherwise they are killed off.
Yuri Bezmenov was full of shit, wasn't a spy or a KGB/FSB agent he was an editor at a Soviet propaganda news service.
@@Friendznco Yuri was spot on about what he was talking about. Ideology was the big bread and butter of the KGB. Only a small percentage was actually spying.
@@humansvd3269 and till to this day KGB successor, FSB heavily relies on spreading Kremlin agenda and fighting for the minds of western folk, than on some sort of James bond or mission impossible type of stuff
It doesn’t even really matter at this point whether Putin was a “good” or competent agent. In hindsight his time with the department was purely a vehicle for him to use during his rise to power.
I thank the lord to find this podcast. The way he's asking questions, keeping the line of talking, my God! Not even a xanax could make sleep faster than listening to this dude. My sleep schedule is fixed, keep up the good work talking like this man! You saved me from my sleep deprivation!
I don't know how he was as an agent except for the story about him facing a crowd outside the Russian ambassy when the Berlin wall fell inj 89 where he showed exceptional composure But as a politician i've seen him on videos giving speech lasting hours in front of large audiences such as at the SPIEF or other times in front of smaller selected audiences or one on one on all kinds of subjects & he always expressed himself with intelligence & demonstrated he was in controlled of his dossiers & could answer at lenght to just about any questions he was asked sometimes out of the blue
I consider him the most impressive politician & Statement i've seen in my adult life going back 5 decades
The men is also considered a working horse & he's dedicated to his task as President or PM in the past
I would extrapolate those qualities to the time he worked for the KGB
One thing he's not is a "yes man" & i believe that will play against anyone in org like the KGB or the CIA & the Pentagon I also believe he's a man of integrity & that's not always something seen favoribly in some org He's a team man & i believe he's faithfull to his associates & friends
What he did as leader of Russia after the mess caused by Yeltsin the US & Europe is outstanding he brought Russia from a failed bankrupt State to a country withstanding the full onslaught of Western economic Sanctions & a full out proxy war by NATO using Nazi Fanatics & turning the table on all of them both economicaly & militarily
That speaks volume about the man !
The amount of brainwashing in your comment is genuinely sad. I can't even insult you, I just feel bad for you. Jesus christ, it's like reading a letter from a North Korean general talking about his Mister President Hard-working Alpha-boss leader Kim-jong-un.
I'd argue what you wrote, but it's about as hopeless as trying to explain science to a religious nut.
@@digitalzeth1582
You talk like someone who thinks he's exceptional all that based on your ignorance
You talk like the average american who thinks he knows it all & stand on higher moral ground because the country he lives in can kill millions of people without facing the consequences such as dropping nuclear bombs on Hiroshima & Nagazaki & going on afterwards killing 2 million Koreans then on to destroy Vietnam based on a False Flag made up by the Pentagon & repeating the same BS in Irak to kill 2 millions more
But that's not all of course there was also Afghanistan Lybia Syria Yemen Soudan Somalia & countless others across the planet where America stood with Fascist dictatorships & military juntas like it stands now with the nazi regime the State Dep CIA & members of Congress like McCain Graham & others installed in Ukraine in 2014
Yea really look who's brainwashed here believing God stands by all those murders the US empire commited since WW2
You're right out of a marvel comics book & it seems that,s all you've been reading in the course of your life judging by your ignorant comment
Take a hike kid !
indeed
Putin is a good guy compared to Russia previous leaders ....
and it's not like US never started unjust war with another nation.
Honestly this scenario with NATO and Ukraine reminds me Cuban missile crysis but sides swaped
History repeats itself.
Putin was not an "agent," he was a KGB OFFICER. Officers of intelligence agencies recruit and handle agents. Most officers (of any intelligence agency) are not sufficiently fluent in any language (other than their mother tongue) to truly fit in in a foreign society. (It does not matter how "fluent" you are, how many "years" you have studied, or how high you scored on a test. If you did not grow up in a particular culture, speaking a certain language or dialect, you will NEVER fit in.) In those societies in which one's race would stand out (for example, a white intelligence officer in China) intelligence officers must recruit resident agents (for our example, a Chinese resident agent) to run other agents so that a "white officer" is not seen meeting a Chinese agent. Of course, for the purposes of compartmentalization, if your agency has many agents in a foreign country, many resident agents would have to be recruited so that no one resident agent -- if arrested -- could betray your entire network of sources. James Bond and Jason Bourne movies do not provide you with the background details you need to be able to comprehend the basics of the tradecraft (agent recruitment, agent handling, etc.) associated with espionage work. It is part art, part science. and often a great deal of luck -- some of it bad.
What are the KPIs for being a good KGB agent? We need to know this first.
I’ve never seen you before and I’m kinda mad about it. Best interviewer I’ve seen hands down.
The guys who were stationed in East Germany were of mediocre intellect.
He was good at playing office politics...in particular, cozying up to the mayor of St. Petersburg and becoming his right-hand man.
This is how Putin started his political career. He weasled his way in.
If you say so it must be true
"The guys who were stationed in the most important Front State by far were of mediocre intellect"
-you
@@user-ik3xt1bx2n i was only a dissident. Nothing major.
You have no clue what you are talking about and should fix your nation of Israel and end the apartheid there.
@@ottersirotten4290 East Germany wasn't frontline for KGB or GRU. West Germany, Austria or Swissland was frontline for German speaking agents. All he did was spying on Soviet citizens in East Germany. So he was basically snitch, that's all.
Btw in Soviet Union when you retired you get promoted by one rank, so he was not even colonel of KGB before retirement.
if they say a particular agent was BAD....i believe tht agent has already cemented his grounds clean and is VERY GOOD to a point others didn't bother him.
Putin was a lawyer for the KGB, nothing more, nothing less. The CIA has lawyers as well, they aren’t considered “agents”. Putin was a logistics guy first, so he served in logistics positions, station chief being a good example of one. East Germany was active, there were plenty of American agents poking into East Germany. They didn’t tend to stay long that’s for sure.
Much respect to this gentleman, but as a field agent he would’ve been in the dark about a lot of things including the goings-on back behind the Iron Curtain. He’s a humble man and he admits it, humility is how real men cope.
You cracked the case Bourne
@@andrewiglinski148 I must be on to something if an internet spook like you came across this comment while mining for ppl to troll.
And who the hell are you!?
CIA aren't much of anything are they? Other than organized crime. They never really had field agents for ops, just pay locals for info. Their only skill is bribery.
He was not a lawyer,he studied international law... What they called international law course in erstwhile Soviet Union is what we would have called in western countries Diplomatic studies and International political science.
Those are just opinions and like Lex said bias analysis. You don't know if he was good or bad. What constitutes good or bad?
Lex is one sided
Here's the deal with Putin.
A long time ago he made an oath to the Soviet Union, AND HE'S GOING TO KEEP IT!
What was the oath?
@@louielogicsxxx3669 Something along the lines of preserving and protecting the Soviet Union. So even though he may be "acting out of self interest" right now, he's still staying true to his oath. He's wishes to restore the glory and power of the Soviet Union. He's quite simple to understand actually.
"Was Putin a good KGB agent?" ..H'm? let's see ...He now runs Russia _COMPLETELY_ !
So, yes ...I think the answer may be yes.
Do you think every popular singer on the radio is the most technically skilled singer and writer in the world? Or that every Hollywood star is the best actor? Being a politician is about having the right connections,now could putin use his skill he learned to position himself the right way? Yes,but you don't actually know that.
@@RANDO4743 Yes, as usual you are being naively positive biased..... You can be good at being a Nurse or Painter or Plumber .. not as a KGB agent ha ha!.
No, if you work in the world of subterfuge then getting to the very top is more than ample proof of your "abilities"
@@coolmacatrain9434 no it's not because they aren't directly related.Many good and successful politicians never had spy experience.Not only that I literally said that *could* be the case,but there is no evidence.
@@RANDO4743 ok ..you are right
@@coolmacatrain9434 No! You are right!
I had a couple of classmates in school who were not good students.
They ended up having their own successful businesses, and in a way, they are way more successful in most life's sectors (family, finance, etc) than the best of the class are.
Demeaning someone and making fun of his past, means we do not believe people can change/improve their skills/character.
Say whatever you want about Putin, but I believe it is a very difficult job to govern such a huge country.
Jesus christ what is this logic.
Everybody and their own grandmother know putin is not some idiot, ofc he developed some great skill, if hes not, he wouldnt be the president of russia. Thats not the point, he kill people he declare war against smaller country, thats why.
Lmfao this is what 15 year old kid who just watch bunch of badass character on netflix type of logic. "oH heS bAd bUt HEs SmArT". Thats how stupid ur opinion sounds like.
Ruthlessness and determination are key factors that can make up where competency is lacking.
The best field agents, don't necessarily make the best supervisors and managers. Sometimes, in my two IC agencies that I worked in, agents who were mediocre in the field, seemed to often find their calling once they were put in charge of things and other agents, instead of cases and suspects. And, a lot of the best agents just wanted to be left alone to do their thing, and really had no interest at all in moving into management. For the really good, it was almost like their calling or religion to work in the field, and they didn't give it up easily.
Yes. It's almost like people are different and have different skills and interests. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Putin was behind the desk not on the field his entire career in KGB
People who get to leadership positions inside of institutions are not always the "best" of their ilk. They are good enough. But the greater skill is that of improving their position. Something that "the best" often don't have while being incentivized to maximally employ their expertise - think technicians, engineers, spies, lawyers, doctors who then become executives/administrators/politicians. The CEO who "started in the mail room" probably wasn't the best mail sorter but they were more motivated and socially competent.
If you've ever worked a day in the life you would know this:
You can be a crappy whatever (nurse, firefighter, desk job person, drive thru person ..) but because of personality disorders, strength of character, lack of personality boundaries (psychopathic traits), strong narcissism etc ... You can make it to the top like Putin.
A good fsb agent may not make it to Putin's level because he or she lacks the ruthlessness to scheme, fight and manipulate or jockey to the top.
That notion if fueled by envy, in the same vein as poor people thinking "all rich people are greedy and evil". There are a lot of reasons why people succeed, and it's usually because people like to be around them, so they are good at building networks and obtaining loyalty from people with very little effort or investment. To associate that with "psychopathic traits" is offensive.
@@TB-ni4ur yeah, I hear you. But this context relates to Putin. Ask all those people that he's murdered, poisoned, made to disappear ... You think it would be offensive to them? You think Trump got to where he got by cultivating positive and wholesome relationships and creating pure driven snow loyalty? C'mon, get your head out of the clouds.
He was extremely Intelligent and smart enough to make strong connections with the most powerful people of his time, rise to the top and became the most powerful man himself for more than 20 years!
He might not be a "good" agent but he definitely had a political intellect from the start. I see him as the embodiment of Machiavellian idea.
If this isn't enough evidence to prove his competence, i don't know what is.
Still the west is so blind in their superiority complex to underestimate him.
..I lived in Germany for 10 years and heard Berlin and Vienna had the most spies..
They obviously weren't very good spies if people knew that
@@hmq9052 some stuck out like soar thumbs, mostly Americans, hahah as for the others they were there but who were they...
It's not usually the super star who makes a great coach.
Putin is a exceptional politician. He is leading the worlds most hard ruled and corrupt country. Imagine the organizational skills needed. However he is logical, cold and very calculated.
Pretty plausible
Exceptional politician LMAO
Very logical and calculated to say that Ukraine was created by Lenin, ignoring all the facts that say the opposite. Yeah. Logic.
Putin is more of a dictator than a politician.
If you look history of Russia and way people think there not really....
He wanted to make a comment like "He wasn't a good agent and therefore moved to politics; I was a good agent", clear spite ...
As a head of state he clearly proven him and his performance is remarkable in all areas.
I don't understand why he has to be the one to judge whether he is a good agent or not, when in reality he himself was a low level agent as he was German. The Soviet Union would never have sent one of its compatriots to the USA, at least first choice
Damn gg Lex you really made this fellar look pass his biases
Your average to below average kgb agent is still very smart and capable otherwise they wouldn’t be there
05:24what a brilliant insightful statement Lex makes.
How is it possible that they give this person so much credit?
I know people who were top of their class and are stuck in a dead end job.. I know people who were slackers and stoners who changed their life around.
Being a good student is rarely an indicator of success. Its more like imagination, ambition, street smarts, Emotional IQ and other factors which make the difference.
Silly question maybe, what makes a person divisive? By definition
Putin is a fantastic leader. He's not flawless, but he honestly tries to look after his people, economy, and their assets.
Proof of his success is glaringly bright now.. 🕊️❤️🐨
Lol what on earth are you talking about. What’s your background that leads you to believe your opinion?
@@das-9962 she's a good little Russian bot buddy. Don't worry about it.
What a disgusting comment, he's mass murderer.
@@das-9962 What are you talking about ? Rest of the world support RUSSIA not USA.
@@cpyne4542 Then go and live there
I think jack barsky giving interview about Kgb with lex while Putin currently running the russia should tell us that jack has got the statement wrong about Putin not being a good agent
Woah that looks like Danil Dubov
That he wouldn't question if the kgb head that told him about putin would have motives of his own is telling. The more confident someone is in their abilities the less they question their own sources.
This seems like a weird argument from Lex. I understand the gist of his general point but being a good kgb agent and being able to rise through the ranks of a political organization aren’t mutually exclusive traits. Barsky even says he had a different set of skills. Its like everyone needs top political figures to be some sort of shadow mastermind instead of someone who is literally and somewhat simply shameless and ruthless and organized.
There's a Chinese saying that goes like "The talented, take longer to mature".
Not sure if that applies to Putin.
His rise was likely a mix of luck and being suited to the task.
He also seems rather different today from the man he was when he was young. It's honestly kinda difficult to see how that kid became the Putin of today.
“Good politician and made connections”. Oh so he did exactly what an agent was supposed to do. Sounds like he was playing chess
You right about the people need to drop all the things we were told as children towards getting older for what is right and wrong. It's judged through politics, religion, etc. instead of following what's wrong and right as in being a good human being that knows what real right and wrong is about
Well, sometimes in systems of power like the one installed in soviet Russia, talent isn't something that is premiered and rewarded. For someone out of their depth, people of talent and charisma is a threat to your position. Hence, a spiral of incompetence is put in motion, where as untalented people recruit untalented people and together in power. You see this in large western organisations as well where oligopols are formed. Old and lazy who keep doing what they've always done. Look at the people in charge at the Chernobyl power plant and in the city of Chernobyl, former shoe-store managers that became incompetent high ranking officials, most likely because the one recruited them wanted to stay safe in their position, not usurped by anyone else
Ahh communism at its finest
If you want to get an idea of who put in is, or at least how he presents, it's no mystery. He talks at length on all sorts of topics in long form interviews, all available online. He's quite smart, from my understanding he's also violent and ruthless.
an agent who is a good organizer, speaks the language is not someone I would send abroad but keep behind to line to verify what others are sending back.
Also, if he is a good politician aka making connections and friends, is that not what a good agent should be able to?
Definitely comes across as the antagonist character in spy movies who’s back at the office giving the field agent a hard time, always thinking about the power game.
i mean what the hell do we know about what makes a good spy lol
Putin was behind the desk not on the field
makes sense, same way as you do not have to be bets salesman in order to be a sales team leader. Different skills. So in kgb, you do not have to be best skilled spy in order to be a top manager.
considering where he's at today i'd say he was pretty good lol.
I just find it questionable that he wasn’t a good agent. If you were not impressive why would I mention you outside of our trainings. He probably just scared people that were also wanting to climb through the ranks. Just like he said its politics.
I don't like Putin either but I'm pretty sure he wasn't a dork, pushing paper.
I'm agreeing with you!! He was a punk!!!
My grandpa met Putin in Moscow just after the collapse of the Soviet Union. My grandpa made a joke about him and Putin leaned in and whispered in his ear, telling him his wife’s name, address, and where she was at that given moment. My grandpa was completely taken back and started shaking in fear. He apologised to Putin immediately. Putin pointed at him and said “Don’t let me catch you around here again”. My grandpa took the next flight back home and never went back to Russia.
Cool story bro. Your friends believe you when you tell that story?
Ya, that never happened.
George Orwell would be proud of Putin. Putin made a comment a couple of days ago about Ukraine committing crimes against humanity. I have recently questioned if he ever felt to be the Russian James Bond.
Well Jack Barsky was sleeper agent and was allowed to live in US after it became known so there is just no way for him to be objective if he wants his status to stay the same. (Still interesting quest)
Putin was recruited when he was a student the same way as our guest so I think he was the top, look like it’s the same pattern…
Putin is an icon. Same cannot be said of current western leaders
Russia's economy is ×16 times larger since Putin came to power....that's why they don't like him amongst other reasons
@@robbiekop7 exactly Putin transformed Russia for the better. Americans have this misconception that he's a dictator oppressing his people. lol how naive. Russia is a resource rich land. America wants a weak dumbo in charge of Russia for this reason
"Was Putin a good KGB agent?"
What a stupid question!
He didn't get to the top of KGB by chance.
He didn't get to the top of the KGB though, like ever, and is under constant threat of asassination and mutiny
Well without a doubt he’s good at making his people and his country priority #1 and as an 🇺🇸 our country would be in better shape with a leader like Putin than the sellout we have calling the shots right now.
Having a leader like Putin is a betrayal of everything the United States was built on
@@rayquaza1245 And the one we have now isn’t along with the majority of our our elected and unelected leadership? They’ve sold us out and if there’s an argument to be made as to Putin making Russia a prosperous country under his watch I’m more than willing to listen.
His military has been decimated and NATO has grown and solidified and Putin will likely be assinated....China could take over part of Russia right now.
.....I don't think Putin has been good for his country
My personal feelings on that question are predicated on two axioms:
1 - We will by definition never have a complete or verifiable accounting of his time in the KGB.
2 - How do you define "a good KGB agent"?
I think, if we take it in terms of being an Agent, being a person with agency in an attempt to serve the interests and well-being of the State, then Putin's been a very good Agent; especially when you consider that under Yeltsin, Russia was an absolute joke... just as its enemies wanted it to be... which is why those same people dislike Putin now, because whatever you want to say about him, it's undeniable that Putin's made Russia stronger than his predecessor did.
I wouldn't be surprised if Lex soon manages to land Putin himself in his podcasts.
There is a difference of working off a lie and believing a lie. For instance, the U.S. government knew fairly early that the majority of South Vietnamese backed the North Vietnamese. The North Vietnamese were always going to win, but the politicians didn't want it to happen on their watch. The same could be said about the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan.
Putin and his top brass have believed too many lies and this is what has got Russia into trouble.
5:00 Boy does he want his Putin Interview
I hope he gets it .. he really deserves it 🕊️❤️
He's still here and on top.
I feel like Lex is secretly a Putin fan.
Bruh stop it
Aren’t we all?
Larper. Barsky was NEVER an agent
Speculation
Jeez Lex being ineffective at one’s job is a great way to be promoted. Many if not most higher-ups prefer the non-threatening “yes man” over someone who’s actually capable of contributing.
Putin doesn't lose his temper like trump
Putin doesn't make gaffes like Biden
Interesting take. On the other hand one could argue that his invasion of Ukraine was a prime example of both losing his temper and making a gaffe - on an even larger scale than either Trump or Biden.
Putin doesn’t allow democracy and equal opportunities.
@boogiedahomey We should wait for that analysis till the end of the war. Than we can say if it was good move or not.
@@dianacarter1047 putin doesn't start fights on Twitter or email me begging for donations like Trump
@@simonscowled9925
Yeah Putin just straight up steals money from his own poor citizens who already suffer in deplorable conditions. Why are you comparing a dictator to 2 us presidents who competed fairly in a democratic election?
Anyone who's worked anywhere has seen unqualified people "rise through the ranks"
He's unqualified to be a human being, but he is a great psychopathic killer..
Hello KGB agents. Have a pleasant rest of the day.
Putins calling was not that of a KGB agent. That's why he left that position. He's calling is that of a leader. And that's why he is a better president than agent
Best is subjective to the scenario. Looking at his trajectory now; I would quantify him as the best in class. 🤷🏾♂️
Please remember being mediocre is a highly effective way to navigate politics and blend in. Spies aren’t supposed to make an impression
Yeah he might not have been the James Bond of the KGB, but that was never his goal, his goal was much grander and he was way too smart to just be an agent, he wanted to Run the KGB/FSB and run Russia, become a face on the international stage, and he's achieved all of it.
The Fact that we have no Idea what so ever what his Job actually was renders any diskussion about how good he was at it beyond pointless.
@@ottersirotten4290 It's irrelevant if he was any good at the task he was assigned in the KGB, what's relevant is he made his way through the ranks to the very top, and stayed there. Like i said before, his ambition transended being a mere agent for an agency, he wanted to be top dog and run his country, and he achieved it.
Is it just me or is Lex interrupting guests way more than he used to?
Putin has legitimate black belts in Judo and Karate, 5th degree black belts if I'm not mistaken. He also is a international master of sport in sambo
That’s because nobody wants to fight him back. They’re all terrified of him so they’ll give him whatever he wants, even if he has zero talent.
I have seen putinas judo and his hockey skills. Everybody lets him win. Just a thieving dictator with some rusty nukes. Good day
@@colewagner1229 lol he got a black belt before he was anybody
@@altergreenhorn not true. He also got his black belt revoked recently.
@@colewagner1229 He was a black belt in those fighting forms way way before he was anyone important in the KGB or in Politics.