I am an American, so I have become inured to the rise of an undeserving oligarchy, enriching themselves through corrupt crony capitalism and at the direct expense of the working class. I point you to this part of my story "Why Putin is a Hero to Russians":

Indeed, in Russia the Clintonites had managed — in just a few years — to create a corrupt, crony capitalist system that it has taken decades to create in their own country.

https://medium.com/@euroyankeeblog/why-putin-is-a-hero-to-russians-9a76a801bd5c

Russia is not perfect, and neither is Putin, certainly. But even the harshest of Putin critics, such as Fiona Hill, admit that Putin is motivated by a genuine love for Russia and the Russian people. Detractors would call him an "ethno-Nationalist" for this, but I consider that type of honest, nationalist motivation to be superior to that of U.S. leaders, who are solely motivated by a globalist/capitalist hunger for wealth and power.

IOW, Putin engages in despicable and ruthless behaviour because he honestly believes it is good for Russia, whereas Western leaders engage in despicable and ruthless behaviour because they believe it is good for Wall Street.