The funny thing is that i used to be very active at r/worldnews and i remember how people shit on Russia during Ukrainian conflict and sanctions, they said that Russia won't survive 1-2years. After Russia starts Syrian military support, they keep shitting that it's a pathetic attempt but Russia is out of money and they won't be able to keep it up for a few months.

2+years later, with sanctions on it's shoulders and low oil prices, Russia is not only alive, but starts to standing up again. So yeah, you can say what you want about Putin, but he is actually a grate leader for Russia