Former president Rodrigo Duterte once described his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin as his 'favorite hero.' During his tenure, the fanboy would manage to meet his idol several times, twice in Moscow alone. But the former demagogue in Malacañang wasn't the only macho leader simping for Putin, who repeatedly topped the Forbes list of the world's powerful leaders. Countless other populists, most notably former president Donald Trump, have publicly fawned over the Man in Kremlin. Former Indonesian general Prabowo Subianto even tried to pull off a Putin-style shirtless stunt during his latest presidential bid.

https://opinion.inquirer.net/164313/putins-russia-short-coup-long-crisis

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