A Pentagon think tank released a study in 2008 stating that Russian President Vladimir Putin has Asperger’s syndrome, an autistic disorder that affects his decision. Brenda Connors, an expert in movement pattern analysis at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, wrote that Putin’s “neurological development was significantly interrupted in infancy.”

The study released by the internal Pentagon think-tank that helps devise long-term military strategy assessed Putin based on observation. The theory cannot be proven as the group would have needed to perform a brain scan on the Russian president.

The group found that Putin’s behavior and facial expressions reveal that he is defensive in large social settings, a trademark in Asperger’s.

More recently, Putin’s actions in neighboring Ukraine have come under scrutiny as Russia has backed Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.

The study has already been angrily dismissed by President Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who said: That is stupidity not worthy of comment.”