My mum just got back from Russia. It was her first trip there.
She was a Putin hater (as most educated people are) but came back home wanting someone like him to rule our country.
No litter in the streets, at all. No graffiti, at all. Beautiful cared for architecture, fantastic roads, clean and beautiful train stations. She said that people even dressed well and even went so far as to say the women are the best dressed in Europe. Everyone speaks English like the rest of Europe and are very friendly but Russians have always been renowned for being friendly people. She said she could gladly live there.
So he may be a complete thug and a prick but when he says jump, things happen.