Putin is a bad guy, and I hope he dies, I think that'd be best. But one can hate Putin AND the US policy which has motivated Putin. It's not either/or. Human behavior isn't so simple.
The US policy which has motivated Putin is that unlike Russia, the US population is allowed to question its government and military, raising the potential for internal stress, dissent, and a draining of the will for conflict. Putin views this as an explotable weakness.