Putin isn't the greatest, but he is damn close. The Russian people, for the most part, love him.
He rules with an iron fist when needed. Take this short vid for example
Work stoppage caused by BILLIONARE businessmen, Putin comes down, solves the problem right away.
Do you think Obama would be able to do such a thing, even if laws permitted? No, because frankly, I think he is a pansy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjrlTMvirVo
He has been leading since 1999 I think, and he brought Russia out of its Soviet Union era demise and made it great again.
Russian government has its own corruption as does any government. I am not entirely sure of its severity tbh so will not speculate :)