A former classmate of Vladimir Putin at the elite Andropov Institute of the KGB has described the Russian president as an insecure, underqualified man whose obsession with his short stature and lack of ability shaped both his career and his leadership style. In an interview with Gordonua, ex-KGB officer Yuri Shvets said Putin was “literally tormented” by how short he was, developing what Shvets called a visible inferiority complex.