That's actually a very Russian attitude, not just propaganda. Some years ago a Russian friend told me that the US was the world's only successful democracy because it's big and powerful enough to throw its weight around. All the others have failed because they're, you know, democratic.
>a Russian friend told me
n=1
I'm Russian and think of Switzerland and Finland when I hear "successful democracy".
It was actually based on a vibe I picked up from several Russian co-workers so I asked one specific friend about it and that's how he explained it to me. So it is based on a small sample size but also surprising to hear it from him because he's not exactly pro-Putin.
I don't know the full context of your conversation, but it strikes me as odd that these Russians don't take into account that different countries possess different amount of resources and have different population.
Gloats? It's all part of a plan to dismantle NATO, and Putin's puppet is hard at work doing just that. First term was just threats and name-calling.