I dont think russia would progress.Putin is just a dictator and he is only interested in strenghthening his armed forces.Nothing special has been heard from russia in recent times.
You are thinking that Putin is a dictator simply because you are watching too much media that is being fed to the general public so that they see a villain in Russia. The US always does have a hard on when it comes to the Russians and will go to any lengths to discredit them,but things are changing look straight and understand the reality rather than listening to paid news. 
I agree with you - you need not only listen to the news but also be able to analyze the situation. Nothing wrong with the fact that I do not see the president as dictator. Sometimes it keeps you from chaos. Russia is progressing, but not at a fast pace. There everything is stable