My highly educated engineer neighbor was born and lived in russia half their life and always says that Putin is not necessarily a good guy but that he is the guy Russia needs to keep it from being looted and stripped bare and that most Russians see it that way.
I have an in-law who is Russian. Her Father was stationed at the USSR embassy in Rome when the USSR collapsed. After 1991, family went to live in Italy. Went to university in Germany. well educated and worldly.
I've met her whole family, who say exact same thing. Russia was being stripped bare by its oligarchs, a corrupt and divided government, and by Wall Street and NGOs. Putin at least brought the oligarchs to heel, made Russia stable and made its government functional for average citizens.