[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

Most of what Putin does has pluses and minuses, with one exception: every time he supports the Orthodox churches, he hits a home run, even though the west has no clue as to its import or impact. Honestly, there have been times where the Eastern Orthodox churches have seriously considered naming him a Saint.

For all the bad stuff he has done, they just shrug it off as secular, political stuff that doesn’t really matter. But the religious stuff hits them deep and hard.

[GaryCrow]

Pablo Escobar built schools and houses for poor families. He didn't do it because he was a good guy, he did it because it got him loyalty from the masses which allowed him to run his criminal empire relatively unmolested. Putin is no different, rebuild a few Orthodox churches and the people reward him by making him dictator for life. At it's essence it's the same thing the Democratic party does in the U.S., reward the underclass with ever increasing welfare benefits in return for their votes.

It's the M.O. of thugs throughout time.