I don’t believe your legend. According to what you’ve posted here you’re around 70 years old. No one of that vintage who worked for the Reagan Administration should be out shilling for a Russian regime of any kind. Unless you’re being paid to do it. I suppose I could respect that.
In answer to your last comment; IMHO, Russia is on the conservative side and Putin is on the dictatorial side so far as I see it. So we’re at least half agreed on some of this.
Believe what you want. I’m 65. Reagan ended the Cold War, and I was proud to serve in his Administration. The US, contrary to promises made at the time, has expanded NATO three times to include twelve countries right up to Russia’s border. We would never permit a hostile military alliance to exist on our borders.
The economic and social policies of Russia are the policies of President Putin, who has been elected three times by the Russian people and whose approval rating is 90%.