“They could not have been more different.”
I agree, but that isn’t the point. Many Russians see Putin the same way many of us saw Reagan, as a sign or beacon of hope.
The average Russian under 40 has no idea what it was like to live in the Soviet Union, all they know about it is some schoolhouse propaganda from grade school.
What they do know is that life in Russia has steadily improved in the years under Putin, and they have it much better than their parents did. They have cellphones, satellite TV, and the ability to travel or move anywhere they want to.
They see the huge infrastructure projects being built, and know that they have more opportunities now, than their parents ever did.
The criminal gangs don’t rule the streets anymore, and even though the mafia’s still exist, they have gone largely underground.
In short, they only have their experiences to compare against, and things have improved dramatically under Putin, like we saw happen under Reagan in the 80’s, only to be wrecked later.
Don’t compare Reagan to Putin, and don’t compare what the most caring generous people on earth saw in Reagan, with what the murderous people of Russian empire see in Putin.
Bad guys admire different qualities and different leadership, with different goals, than the good guys.
From the Russkie standpoint, where they still pine for Stalin, this has a very different meaning. The criminal gangs don’t rule the streets anymore,
They just run the government, and can afford to pay online trolls like you to pimp for Putin.
Reagan was a hero to Russians, not Putin and the other Communist Party and KGB thugs who enforced the totalitarian regime.
I have spoken to many Russians and Eastern Europeans who lived under Communism. They did not believe in communism and hated the Communist Party members, the secret police and the whole brutal, corrupt system.
It is true that the Soviet economy has grown under Putin. But economic growth does not make Putin anything like Reagan.