You may not like to hear it but Putin is popular in Russia. Why? Like Ronald Reagan he has restored the pride in their country. He has helped Russia overcome their defeat in Afghanistan (like Vietnam) and he succeeded a weak Russian leader (think a drunken Carter). He has bamboozled the best and brightest in the world (not that Obama is too bright). Putin is a man's man (the Russian version) like Ronald Reagan was a cowboy. Reagan survived Brezhnev, Andropov, Chernenko, Gorbachev, and Yeltsin. Putin has survived Clinton, Bush, and Obama.
So let me explain for the idiots (and you don't know who you are). This is not saying that Putin or Russian have the same goals or principals that Reagan and the US have. This is only about the popularity of Putin and why. Too bad we don't have a Ronald Reagan to go against him. We have Lou Costello, the Three Stooges, and the Little Rascals.