Whether you go by Juan Linz's definition - the origin of the term as used in a political sense - or Bob Altemeyer's later refinement it's clear that Russia fits this label as it was laid out by its originators.
So no, I do not use terminology on the basis of my personal likes or dislikes. I use these terms because they mean something, as laid out by the political theorists who originated them.
So again, I apologize that some words may make you feel itchy, or maybe a little self-conscious. Through, you should note that self-reflection is good, and you shouldn't shun perceivably negative terms because they may (or may not) play into your belief system.
Hey, I'm not! It's amusing that authoritarian socialists get accused of excusing authoritarianism under the guise of anti-imperialism, while failing to address the reactionary nature of regimes like Putin's though indeed. Especially to the point of proudly exclaiming that the term 'authoritarianism' has no value in theory or praxis - a dead give away to their true nature, and oddly incapable of owning such a label.