" Putin has no ideological commitment to anything, really, and so has no reason to try to impose totalitarianism. Ideologists are, after all, the scariest kinds of rulers, because they want to dictate what goes on inside their people's heads. Putin is, of course, willing to use propaganda and media control to mobilize support and squeeze out alternative perspectives, but he doesn't really care what people think - as long as they do what they are told. Putin is not a philosopher - and that is something for which we, and Russians, should be thankful. "

― , We Need to Talk About Putin: Why the West Gets Him Wrong, and How to Get Him Right