If you can’t nail Putin as a Stalinist,
then you redefine Stalinism until it fits.
Do I have that right?
Regardless of how your definition differs. Putin has overseen the rehabilitation of his image and whitewashed USSR history.
Wasn’t the core of Stalinism to kill or imprison anyone who dared speak against you, and then kill or imprison their friends, family, and associates, and then kill THEIR friends, family and associates... Is Putin doing anything like that?