That the man is a committed nationalist (the horror!!) never seems to occur to urinalysts.
We may not approve of his choices, but then we do not have his perspectives.
The people he is beating up on are also nationalists, as are all the various peoples in E.Europe. The only reason Putin and HIS nationalists matter is because of what he’s doing, not who or what he is.
I would not even call Putin a nationalist. He is too selfish and corrupt. He has not been good for Russia except for his billionaire pals. Pol Pot was more of a nationalist, but I would not call him a nationalist. I would more likely call him an evil murderous dictator. Come to think of it, that is what I would call Putin.