Guess you just read his mind instead.

"Why Does The Right Love Putin"
(is that what CNN told you?)

Republicans have no problem with corrupt imperialist leaders.

He crushes lgbtq rights, the right love that shit.
He panders to traditional religion; the right would love for the government to have closer ties with church & work with them in enforcing conservative social values onto society.
He is an anti woke strongman, the rise of Trump shows us they eat that shit up.

I think the main thing preventing a lot of the right from loving him is how deeply ingrained russia as a geopolitical foe has been due to their deep hatred of communism & the USSR.

the right in general is obsessed with "strongmen". authoritarianism and clear hierarchies are deeply rooted in conservative ideology. leaders projecting strength through military posturing, who display open hostility and cruelty towards minorities and dissenters, and generally cultivate a classical macho image, are naturally appealing to people who are stuck in simplistic thinking structures, longing for an easy to understand world, where everything has an "order" they're able to grasp.

putin is everything they wished their leader (trump) was: cunning, cold, calculating, smart, ruthless, untouchable, filthy rich, politically so powerful that it's actually a joke to call russia a 'democracy', openly homophobe, generally anti-"woke", chauvinistic, militaristic, aggressive, expansionist, unapologetic... him murdering journalists and opposition, invading neighbouring countries, committing war crimes and human rights abuses, violently suppressing / imprisoning / silencing any kind of dissent, censoring every critical voice... those are things they (secretly) actually admire.

also, they have been bombarded with "russia is not so bad" messaging for years now, ever since trump's crooked dealings with russia came to light. right wing propaganda in the US has been riding the "putin is anti-woke, which is good, so he's a natural ally" train ever since, and to many of the empty-headed faux news drones that's all they need to support literally everything he does, no matter how opposed to their alleged "values" (free speech, american supremacy, freedom...) it actually is.

Don't break your arm trying to pat yourself on the back.

Don't worry.
I will still accept your friend request.

Real time view of you waiting for that request:

Your love radiates and warms my soul.

Putin wasn't always a mad man you know...