This snippet from Le Sabot Post-Moderne explained for me why many people in Russia, Ukraine, and other post-soviet states continue to support, even elect, strongman (read near-dictatorial) leaders like Putin and Yanukovych:

>There is a large segment of the population who thinks Ukraine took a wrong turn with Independence and the death of Communism. They may not want the hammers & sickles back, but they do want a strong man at the top who will set things straight — a Putin. This goes double for those who have "lost" during the post-Soviet period — pensioners, miners, factory workers, the military and security forces, and many government bureaucrats and workers. These are people who were raised to desire order at all cost, and they see the present period as chaotic and scary. Yanukovych, for all his faults, radiates a brutish strength and promises order, however bleak.

[Emphasis mine]