Yes, the sad thing is the problem isn’t Putin. It is Russian culture.
For a thousand years the Russian people have been brutalized by Czars and dictators. They do not have any other way to function. Remove the brutal yoke and Russian society collapses.
The whole Russian culture is crap, but Putin is at the mean end of Russian politics.
Even if his replacement would have the exact same idiotic ideas he would have a less entrenched position to force them on others and the less idiotic Russian forces would gain power.
Plus all the vodka in Russia.