Not everyone sees him that way.

But Putin has powerful levers he's often willing to use, including cyber power, military mind and a cult of personality.

Together they form and often effective web of influence.

While Moscow denies it's highly skilled hackers trying to influence the U.

S election, they've also been accused of spying and causing big disruptions in other countries like Estonia and Ukraine.

Claims Russia also rejects Russia's enormous hacking power.

State criminal is a new it traces back to the U.

S s sir when it's universities were designed to produce a world class engineers.

Putin's power is also hugely enhanced by his very personal control of Russia's vast military.

Much of it, including the nukes, is also a Soviet legacy, so Putin is pumping extraordinary amounts of money to modernization.

But most analysts agree Russia's conventional forces are still only mighty enough to project power close to its borders.

Russia also used limited air power to successfully brought up the Syrian regime.

Critics say that words because of Putin's willingness to indiscriminately bomb band civilian areas, something Moscow denies.

One of the biggest sources of power is his own extraordinary popularity at home Maur other world leaders criticizing more Russians, celebrated president, his approval figures sword with Ukraine and spiked again with Syria.

The reason.

Many Russians really care about the country's ability to influence world events, even if it comes in sanctions and a hit to their own quality of life they're proud of.

Putin also benefits from a political system and the media landscape with zero tolerance for criticism.

So, no doubt Vladimir Putin is powerful and unpredictable.

But he's also limited by some pretty big problems.

Russian economy isn't going anywhere.

That's why there's another popular theory about Putin and his web of influence someone who plays a weak hand very well.