Agree and basically right on concerning Putin....
Interesting you mentioning he’s afraid of ‘public’ politics...that would explain some of the struggling I’ve seen at times. But he IS putting on a good show and it’s the perception he’s appealing to....in that respect he has the world’s attention for the most part.
When Putin prefers to manipulate elections, inspite of having enough public sympathy to win, though he'll probably need a second round, this says a lot, doesn't it?
He accepts no risk in this. But when he needs to risk good relations with Euro leaders with cutting gas deliveries to Ukraine he does it.