This. As a whole, the Russian people want a strong leader at the helm. They want a "vozhd", even if he is tough on them. They expect that leader to take care of them and Russia.
One very big mistake most Americans make, not just about Russians and Ukrainians, but about just about everyone else in the world - they believe everyone else is just like they are, only speaking a different language.
Wrong.
Have studied a lot of Russian history. They've gone through things over the centuries we Americans should get down on our knees and thank God we have never experienced. Wish every American could view even a thirty-minute YT video on the salient features of Russian history.
People's history determines how they see the world, and how they react to it.
Suggest reading the book Bloodlands. Reasonably priced, used, on Amazon. Came out about ten years ago. The first volume of the Gulag Archipelago is also worth reading. Inexpensive used on Amazon. Read these, figuratively walk a mile in someone else's shoes. Not excusing Putin's aggression at all, but reading some Russian history gives you some idea why he is doing it, and makes you aware of the Mississippi River of bad blood between Ukraine and Russia.