This is a decent article on the "Russian imperialism" question. The West desperately wants regime change in Russia to install another neoliberal puppet (Navalny in particular) for Western capital and finish off what Yeltsin started in privatization for Western plunder. This would be a return to the neoliberal hellscape of 90s Russia. Like in Ukraine, the most reactionary fascist elements would also likely be unleashed to establish a Western puppet state. Russia contains about 30% of the world's natural resources valued at about $75 trillion. It's the second largest exporter of petroleum. Russia has the largest proven natural gas reserves in the world and is the largest exporter of natural gas. Oil and gas account for over a third of its federal budget revenues (which are essential for funding public services/education/healthcare and the large-scale privatization that the West wants critically threatens this). It's also the third largest arms exporter in the world. While obviously not being a socialist country, it still retains a high degree of state ownership for a capitalist country with the state controlling over half of banking, almost half of the oil and gas sector, and over a third of the utility sector. State-owned enterprises account for almost 40% of the capitalization on the Russian stock market.

Russia also plays a large role in undermining Western regime efforts against other countries like Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. According to neocon ghoul Elliott Abrams:

We underestimated the importance of the Cuban and Russian support for the [Venezuelan] regime, which has proved I think to be the two most important pillars of support for the regime and without which it wouldn’t be there, it wouldn’t be in power.

Konstantin Kosachev, the head of the foreign affairs committee in the upper house of the Russian parliament, on Cuban relations:

We did make huge mistakes in the 1990s while turning our backs on Cuba. That time is definitely over, and I'm absolutely sure that our relations deserve better attention from Russia.

They deserve more investments from Russia both in terms of finances and equipment of course, but also human resources. And definitely we should assist, we should help, Cuba; we should support Cuba as long as it's discriminated against, as long as it's sanctioned, as long as it's blockaded by the United States."

In 2014, Putin forgave about 90% of Cuba's debt that it had accumulated from the Soviet era. In 2019, Russia had sent Cuba 1,000 minibuses, 50 locomotives, tens of thousands of tourists, and a promise to upgrade the island's power grid with a multi-million dollar improvement plan. Russia is currently building 4 power plants in Cuba and pledging over $1 billion to revitalize Cuba's railroad system.

In Nicaragua, Russia is heavily arming Nicaragua's socialist government, distributing food aid, working to improve Nicaragua's public transportation, and helping the country's ability to manufacture vaccines.

Russia and Belarus serve as buffer zones against the West and NATO for Vietnam, China, DPRK, and Laos.

So, yeah, Putin obviously isn't a comrade and he certainly opposes socialism at home as it threatens his own power and the Russian oligarchs that support him, but the current Russian government nevertheless plays a crucial role in establishing the multipolar world order that socialism desperately needs to survive. Putin's current shitty oligarchy also still manages to be far better for Russians than what neoliberal Western sellouts like Yeltsin ever was (a low bar I know).