Vladimir Putin has always had designs on Ukraine and some of his neighbors; that fact is not unusual. It’s not even unexpected that he would invade Ukraine. What is unusual about some of the things he has done is that it seems far more reckless than his usual calculating KGB approach to things — not just taking on perhaps too much in Ukraine, but threatening Finland and Sweden, threatening NATO nations if they have troops in their states out of concern for his actions and even firing on the ships of other nations, including NATO members.

There have been some who have suggested over the past few days that something is amiss with Putin.

But now that includes the vice-chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL). Rubio indicated that he knew something he could not share.

I wish I could share more,but for now I can say it’s pretty obvious to many that something is off with #Putin

He has always been a killer,but his problem now is different & significant

It would be a mistake to assume this Putin would react the same way he would have 5 years ago

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) February 26, 2022

“I wish I could share more,” Rubio tweeted. “But for now I can say it’s pretty obvious to many that something is off with #Putin. He has always been a killer, but his problem now is different & significant. It would be a mistake to assume this Putin would react the same way he would have 5 years ago.”

Now, there are always all kinds of rumors that float out there about everything — especially in the fog of war — and you always have to be on the lookout for whatever angle or propaganda that whoever may be pushing. But what makes this one just a little different is his “I wish I could share more” and his position — which suggests perhaps that he’s seen something concrete. Plus the fact that Putin’s behavior is different — less careful and considered — than it has been in the past, for example when he went into Crimea. In Crimea, he tried to cover his tracks as best he could so as to minimize the look that it was an invasion by Russia. When he does things, he usually has intricate plotting to cover his tracks. Now, he doesn’t seem to give a darn about that and is overextended all over Ukraine, even with reports some of his troops may not have known they were going to fight in Ukraine and that they might be running out of food.

You had this hot take from a State Department official along the lines that maybe the pandemic played a factor.

A senior State Department official, briefing a small group of reporters, says the COVID pandemic may have been one factor isolating Putin and preventing him from hearing contrary voices–making him more to embark on an Ukraine invasion that will lead to bloodshed and peril.

— Susan Page (@SusanPage) February 25, 2022

Yeah, no. This is the translation for “We don’t want to blame Joe Biden for Putin acting now.”

It’s true that Putin has been emboldened by Joe Biden’s weakness, so that could explain some difference in taking broader action but it wouldn’t explain some of the reckless aspects of his actions in regard to his own troops. He might not care about the troops per se, but he does care about winning and plotting things out.

So we’ll have to see if Rubio or others drop more about what they may know.