Vladimir Putin has seamlessly replaced Boris Yeltsin as leader of Russia, moving quickly to take advantage of his high approval ratings and his party's bolstered support in parliament. This is quite an accomplishment for a government that lacked a popular mandate only a month ago.

Yet many in the United States have expressed doubts about Russia's new acting president.

For one, it has been widely noted that Mr. Putin, a former K.G.B. officer, was a virtual unknown until Mr. Yeltsin made him his prime minister in August and that his Unity Party did not even exist then. The truth is, being an unknown is not only a distinct political advantage in Russia, it was a necessity for Mr. Putin, who had to amass credible popular support in a political culture tarred by cynicism and disillusionment. He neither made nor carried out government policies in the last few years, so he wasn't responsible for any of the mistakes.

Some critics have questioned Mr. Putin's commitment to democracy. True, he is no liberal democrat, domestically or internationally. Under his leadership Russia will not become France. The government will, however, reflect the Russian people's desire for a strong state, a functioning economy, and an end to tolerance for robber barons -- in short, a ''ruble stops here'' attitude. Russia could do considerably worse than have a leader with an unwavering commitment to the national interest.

And it is difficult to see how to do better.

Russia's neighbors grasp the importance of this point. The other former Soviet republics lauded Mr. Putin's appointment, mostly because of the pragmatism he demonstrated when serving as secretary of Russia's security council. His reaction to the formation of the ''counter-Russia'' alliance of Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Moldova was to state that Russia should craft a regional policy palatable to its neighbors.