Putin is wildly popular in Russia and has been for a long time - and for good reason. Just look at the poverty rate, crime statistics, etc etc in Russia in the 90s. Those all got steadily better since he came into office. His approval rating is currently in the range of 69-70%.
Nobody else is even close in Russia.
“Putin is wildly popular in Russia and has been for a long time -”
Joe Biden got 80 million votes.
Pretty impressive for a 5’6” twerp.
A good way to keep popularity is to bump off those you think will become more popular than you.