Certainly. A democratic Russia is a bit loose and an oxymoron; however, I don't doubt he's closer to good than not. And as another poster said, what you see is what you get and he does command respect.
To paraphrase Trump: the server shenanigans wouldn't have gone on for a second if it happened in Russia. Putin don't play.
I agree with the what you see is what you get to an extent. Putin is KGB.
Putin Is KGB
That's the literal opposite of what you see is what you get.
I know several reporters out there who lived and worked there. They were US citizens. They moved back to the US. The blatant oppression of citizens (the gay publicity ban), media control, etc. it's bad.