Go to Russia and ask the average person on the street what they think of Putin. Thing is, the people who had to be afraid are already long gone. The rest just didn't care or tried to stay safe rather than prioritizing their beliefs and principles.

You really think the people who are left on the streets feel free to speak their minds if it would conflict with what the Politburo is enforcing?

I'm not asking you to hear what they say, I'm asking you feel their fear (or lack thereof). If all the allegations are true then they don't need to say anything, you can feel the fear effortlessly, there's no hiding that. Also, nobody is stopping you from interacting with them in a place without cameras and witnesses.

Also, China has got nearly nothing in common with Russia. Don't lazily lump them together just because western popular thought likes to put the same label on them.