That he is in such demand is telling; he is just the type that Russians yearn for when there are as many problems as Russia has. He’s a staunch Russian patriot and the Russians respond well to it and there’s a reason he is so successful with them. He’s tough and doesn’t try to be their friend, he cares more about results than being buddies with various factions.
As long as the average Russian is left reasonably alone with enough food, enough vodka and smokes he really doesn’t care who is in charge be it a czar, the Communist party or a strongman like Putin. Russians generally don’t go for involved political machinations like constant election cycles, etc.