Putin villain abroad, hero at home
To the West he is public enemy number one: snatching land from his neighbours, interfering in foreign elections and unveiling weapons that he says render Washington`s missile defence system s obsolete.
But despite or because of his reputation abroad, Vladimir Putin is still widely popular in Russia and is all but guaranteed to win a presidential election this week with a landslide.
In part this is because over almost two decades in power he has cracked down on dissent and consolidated Kremlin control over the media.
The president`s most vocal opponent is also barred from appearing on the ballot on March 18 owing to a criminal conviction.
For millions of Russians, however, Putin is the man who brought stability after the political and economic chaos of the 1990s, as well as restoring Moscow`s standing on the world stage following the humiliating collapse of the Soviet Union.
