I saw a documentary on Putin's rise to power that included (others do not) coverage of how the oligarchs in Russia (seven of them) basically set or determined how Putin would govern. They wanted a democracy friendly to their interests (capitalism) as the post-Yelstin era was beginning. It was quite revealing how Putin was subject to them and it reminded me a lot of America and our leaders and how they cowar to business leaders (and Trump's association with Russians). They agreed to stay out of politics if Putin stayed out of commerce. The oligarchs then divided up various industries among themselves.
In the end, it left the impression on me that Putin is just a player or a puppet who owes a lot of people.