To say that Vladimir Putin is a bit of an enigma would be an understatement, but the big dogs over at the US Department of Defense believe they’re finally figured him out this week.

A think-tank over at the Pentagon conducted two studies based purely on watching footage of Putin’s movements and speeches and came to the conclusion that he suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome; which they define as “an autistic disorder which affects all of his decisions.”

The researchers admitted that they don’t actually have any access to any of Putin’s medical data, or scans of his brain, or anything at all that could really back up their claims beyond ‘that’s what it seems like’.

The study has wound up the National Autistic Society, which says this kind of freestyle diagnosis is “fraught with risks and unhelpful”:

Autism is a complex condition and a diagnosis should only ever be made following a thorough, holistic face-to-face process involving both the individual and the diagnostician.

So yeah, perhaps they’ve got this one wrong. I suppose it’s easier to say Putin is autistic than to say he’s a sociopath since the US is also run by those types and that would be a tad hypocritical. No one’s denying that Putin is a grade A arsehole, but maybe the US and other countries are jealous that people actually like him in Russia?

Maybe this clip of him making fun of a stuttering stroke survivor holds more clues.