I kind of place him where he saw his country break apart and set out with a mindset of reunification in mind.
If that happened again in the US there's no doubt we would be massing troops on our own/former borders as well.
I wouldn't want to see communism in Russia again, but I do see where Putin is coming from in context of how the US broke apart in its own way during the Civil War.
Yeah, I think he started out with the best interests of his country at heart. Many Russians saw him in exactly the light you describe, for quite a long time.
Trouble is, he’s become a despot, and like all despots, he appears incapable of distinguishing between his personal interests and those of his country.
Alexander III, Nicholas II, Stalin, all thought that
they were Russia, the living embodiment of the Russian people. They all loved Russia, but they all expected - no, demanded - to be loved back. And heaven help anyone who didn’t show enough love to the leadership. Putin’s the same I think. He’s also undeniably corrupt, even if he wasn’t always that way.
Has the US ever really healed itself since the Civil War btw? That’s a genuine question, I’m not trying to point any fingers.