DJS, Putin will ruin Russia and with it everyone around it. Russia is reactionary country with desire to control its neighbors and would engage in the worst form of aggression against them because these states want to choose their own destiny. Every Slavic nation have bad experience with them and dislike them. Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, Slovenes, and now Ukraine. They experienced Russian aggression and forceful subjection to their rule or ideology. Russia today is much alike like Nazi Germany using its minority abroad, engaging hostile warfare (Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova) and its driven by messianic complex to subject everyone around by force because she thinks that it is the best for the best interest to them. Czech writer Kundera compared Russia to drunken woman waving an axe and demands to be loved, and if the love is not returned she wield it.
Much of the progress in Russia was driven by two things there by influx of capital due oil and gas, and cheaper credit. This will evaporate and Russian economy will disintegrate. They may experience their own version of territorial disintegration like USSR. For what? For couple Slavic cities and villages in Dombas? For backward Orthodox religion fighting other Orthodox countries? In country which has own problem with Islam from Dagestan and Kalmyk to Tatarstan? Russian will not win confrontation with the West. They just don't have economy for it. Much stronger USSR collapsed. Russia is just half of Eastern block, country without allies. And it is illusion for Rusophils to think China will side with Russia against USA and West. China will exploit it for own benefit.