The Russians, possibly. But Putin?
I'd go along with flash8. I spent 3 months living with a Russian family and mixing with Russians on a daily basis (not in a military situation). I really got on with them as a people, and on an individual basis I really warmed to them. The trouble is that as a society Russia is plagued with endemic corruption, which stretches right down to having to bribe the lady at the railway ticket counter to sell you a ticket which she has no right to deny you, or producing "documents" (ie a few dollar bills) when you were stopped by the traffic police for some invented infraction of the rules.
I have no doubt this corruption goes right to the top, so my only question is "if not Putin, who?"