I started reading into Vlad's past. For now, just scraping the surface with a cursory read via Wikipedia. He was required to join the KGB to attend college. In the USSR, it was mandatory to be a communist. He was no longer a communist after the dissolution of the USSR, because it became illegal. So what is he really? Based on his policies, I would say he is not a communist. It sounds like Russia was falling apart and he came in and rescued it.

During Putin's first tenure as president, the GDP's purchasing power grew by 73%. Incomes more than doubled and the poverty rate decreased from 30% to 14%. He did this by significantly reducing taxes. Russia is one of the least taxed countries in Europe. I thought commies liked taxation?

He is an Orthodox Christian and has aided in the restoration of churches and has brought back the teaching of the 4 traditional Russian religions in school. Parents choose between Orthodox Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism. I thought commies were atheists and believe government should replace religion?

He has changed the constitution so that there are no presidential term limits, however the current Russian Constitution is the second longest lasting constitution in that country and it was made in 1993. It apparently changes quite frequently. He is very popular with the Russian citizens because he gave them better quality of life after the post-communist depression. From what I could tell, the citizenry didn't seem to up and arms about the change like Americans would if one of our presidents pulled that here.

There is not a freedom of press there like there is in America. You can be fined for publishing what they deem as "misinformation". Unfortunately, this type of thing is common in many countries, that's why America's constitution is the best.

All in all, it was an informative read. I did not get the impression that Putin is a communist, maybe he used to be or maybe he had to pretend to be to survive the USSR. Actions speak louder than words and he's had the power to shape Russia as he wanted, it does not resemble a communist country. Plus, his critics the western media, are actual communists. They have more love for Xi than Putin.

P.S. I also found this forum. There's a picture one of the users posted from an anti-Putin rally with the protestors waving flags with the hammer and sickle, meaning they are pro-communist, protesting Putin's anti-communist policies. https://www.quora.com/Is-Vladimir-Putin-a-communist-or-a-nationalist

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Putin

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domestic_policy_of_Vladimir_Putin