The translation was done by the AI.
I keep thinking more and more about the following:
The inner circle around Putin considers him to be a ruthless, brutal, brazen, merciless, insecure, and cynical individual—someone who is extremely beneficial to them, allowing them to become ultra-rich, monstrous oligarchs, looters of enormous wealth and property, kleptomaniacs of the highest order. Their attitude toward Putin is purely pragmatic, selfish, opportunistic, and greedy. They have no illusions about what kind of ruler he is—just the most cunning, the most ruthless, the most bloodthirsty, and the most vile among them all. He outplayed them, seized power, took absolute control, and now they are entirely dependent on him, trembling before him. End of story.