Jerome: Putin is a small time despot who grabbed power thanks to the genocidal war in Chechnya, got lucky as world energy prices jumped through the roof (so much so that he and his mediocre siloviki cronies cannot even steal it all) and got even luckier as he has to face the stupidest and most criminal leaders in the West for a long while. He is popular because for most Russians, subsidized authoritarianism is better than empoverished chaos.

I usually defend Russia against the blatant hypocrisy of the West; I really don't like Putin otherwise.

LR [to Jerome]: "Given that you've written  "I usually defend Russia against the blatant hypocrisy of the West" I assume you agree that POEMLESS has rather mischaracterized your writing about Russia, don't you?  Because we're not looking for somebody who  defends  Russia were looking for somebody who criticizes it."

Kremlin and Putin on the one hand. Russia on the other. This is sad, really.

The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom - William Blake