All the criticism of Putin really hits the "both sides" nerve in me. Yes, Putin is indeed the boogeyman and a horrible strongman. Let's not deny that.
...but let's be clear about the fact that the US is not a lot better. Sadly Trump has a little bit of a point. The annexation of Crimea is more or less a direct response to the US expanding NATO and trying to more and more encircle Russia. When Ukraine starts flirting with NATO, of course he's gonna act. There's no excuse, but the US played a part as well. And more broadly, the US meddles with a lot of other countries in the world quite boldly, and not very ethically. The 20th century is full of examples, and the 21st won't be a lot better. The industrial military complex is a huge beast. I know it's not the same, but sometimes people seem to think that America (or the west) are unequivocal good guys, when they're just as self-serving as anyone else in the world, they just happen to have the most power.