I don't think that is true, but I understand why you might think that. I've never liked Putin, who has in all likelihood had many people killed - independent of the killing and immoral actions he is directing in the Ukraine. That said, it was G.W. Bush who said he 'looked into his eyes and saw his soul' (or something like that).
I think a fair number of conservatives are just so tired and resentful of the Russia, Russia, Russia propaganda and false accusations against Trump such that they don't want to allow the left to characterize Putin as the main and only threat in the world. I think many feel that making Putin the number one boogey man in the world is ignoring the other boogey men/women in the world whom the left has embraced - including those in China who Biden has given a pass to, those in Iran who Biden is cutting a nuclear deal with, and those globalists (e.g. Soros) from multiple nations who want to realign the world in a manner that restricts our freedoms, diminishes the US, and puts control in the hands of a cabal of liberal 'elites'.
Irrespective of the above, I agree with you entirely that Putin is a dangerous autocrat whose ego is big enough to lead him to start an overt WWIII.
I can agree to a point on what you are saying.
Yes I think a fair number of conservatives are reflxively supporting Putin for the reasons you state. But that is a problem. Has our entrenched political views become so bad that
there is no ability to reason? Its to the point if the left says water is wet, the right would disagree - and vice versa. Is it totally inconceivable that there just may be an issue that both left and right can agree on, rare as it is anymore?
Our country was no fan of communism, certainly Churchill wasnt. But yet there was a greater threat to address and we backed the communists during the war. We may not like the “globalists” and yes Zelensky pretending to play the piano with his penis is the most outrageous crime against mankind one could ever do, but there is a bigger fish to fry and thats Putins naked agression. Will he stop at Ukraine? No.
He dreams of putting the band back together and that includes NATO countries. Best to stop him now before he tries it on a NATO country and put us in a nuclear war.