6 SEPTEMBER 2008, Page 22

Russia unhinged

Sir: Vladimir Putin recently implied that John McCain was to blame for the war in Georgia. Russian intelligence claims that American military instructors have been in the war zone in Georgia. Why? Because they found an American passport (obviously lost or stolen) in that zone. Anne Applebaum, former deputy editor of The Spectator, studying the material for her book on the Gulag, came to the conclusion that as a result of its awful history, Russia is mentally unbalanced. I agree with her. The above mentioned statements and the whole aggression against Georgia are a clear example of delusional psychosis. The West should be aware of this and keep Russia at a long distance.

Oleg Gordievsky

London WC1