A new cold war

Ok what is really going on in Russia? I have heard conflicting things from Putin dissolving the government to Putin just reshuffling things. He is apparently appointing a successor so he isn't the evil autocrat people seem to think he is, or is he? And Russia keeps detonating huge bombs, is this a power play? Russia is still the only country in the world that is a real military threat to the US, pehaps this is a good thing? The balance of power globally to keep one nation from being hegemonic. But what are Russia's intentions? Do they seek to regain a threatening posture towards the US?
The future, as we all know is unpredictable, and I think while everyone was focusing on the Red Dragon they forgot about the old Red Bear...