The only thing Russians have to be proud of is that they threw off the yoke of the EVIL EMPIRE that enslaved them, but Putin is not proud of that, he regrets it.
I believe that what he is ashamed of, is that Russia allowed itself to sink down to the point of losing their national pride. That is why he brought back some of the historical regiments of the Tsar, as well as some of the regiments that fought in WWII. Putin is a devout Orthodox Christian, and keeps a Bible on his desk.