Do not forget that the collapse of the Soviet system was economically and socially catastrophic...the resulting Russian Federation had some VERY dark days while we in the US were enjoying the boom of the 1990s.
Under Putin's leadership, Russia continues to improve every year. Corruption is way down, inflation is minimal, employment is up, birth rates are up. Economic growth is actually being down-regulated by the central bank via interest rates in order to prevent a bubble caused by excessive rate of growth. The middle class is vibrant and growing. More people have more disposable income than at any time in the last 30 years.
Yet, all we hear about in the media are the grumblings of the malcontents that are pretty much equivalent to our left wing...essentially the millennials who can't seem to get off their asses and make something happen for themselves, so it must be the fault of the system. It just happens that this narrative is convenient for the Russia bashers.
Putin-Hate is the same as "Orange Man Bad". No more, no less. Just BS.
I generally think you are judging the Russian economy in terms of an expat earning money abroad. I think actual economy is worse than it was 6 or 8 years ago but not by much.
As more the rest you are mostly right.
Putin is a target of an organized disinformation campaign similar to that against Trump but much more aggressive and longer lasting.
The problem is some people believe it. That includes younger people in Russia who don’t remember Communism or Yeltsin era.