The fact that you vilify Putin is telling.  Putin is being vilified by the US for what?

In Ukraine, he is resisting a color revolution caused by the US, which outstared a democratically elected government, in effort to emplace a American friendly/Russia hostile government.  Oh, and he allowed Crimea, an area that contains ethnic Russians and has been Russian for hundreds of years, to rejoin Russia.  And is very strategic port for Russia as well.

And in Syria, he is supporting the legitimate government there, in opposition to Americans, who are supporting terrorists, bent on destabilizing the country.  There is a clear record of this; Iraq, Egypt, Libya, Yemen...

Oh, that evil Putin!!!