[DoughtyOne]

Great Russian leaders don’t scramble to manipulate things to stay in power for 16 years.

[buwaya]

“Great Russian leaders don’t scramble to manipulate things to stay in power for 16 years.”

Thats exactly what great Russian leaders do. Russia doesn’t have a history of nice leaders.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Your criteria for judging Russian leaders is different than mine. Nationalist, populist, quasi-dictatorship strongmen (and women, see Catherine the Great) has been the hallmark of Russian leadership since the Tsars.

Putin has made Russia into a world power that right now, may even eclipse our own. US generals have already conceded that Russia could defeat us in a conventional war. How or who Putin manipulated, secretly assassinated, or connived his way into that status isn't up for debate.