Probably, Stalin attached even less value to Russian life than Putin does. And yeah, when you've got that kind of body count to your name, when you've had that many people rounded up and sent to Siberia, people tend to do what you say. The NKVD did not mess around, scary dudes. Their presence was motivating.
It's true the Soviets did a good job of it in WWII, kinda what I meant, and with our help no less. I've heard and read about Russians paying homage to the 400k trucks and jeeps we gave them to contend with Russia's vast distances. Being able to drive supplies over frozen rivers was crucial. I'm guessing much of that transport effort to the East was done with many of the same American vehicles actually. Putin has no gifts of similar worth, though in fairness I suppose people like Trump, Flynn, Cawthorn, Tucker, etc should be recognized as the Russian assets they are.
Ukraine gave Stalin a bitter insurgency (that was put down) but I don't think Putin is going to have the same luck. I think he stands a better chance of helping his government die the same way the Soviet Union did: dejected, broke, and on the lonely side.