I was out of Scandinavia for 10 years when this extreme Russophobia apparently crept into the public consciousness via media (before that, it wasn't - during the Cold War media never took a stand - it was the golden rule then. During the 90s they were too busy writing about geographical changes, gangsters and criminality. Then came Putin and that's when it started.).
No, you are not right. It didn't started with Putin's advent. Russophobia in Europe has a few centuries' long history. It's spinning its odious web since XVI century and probably has deeply penetrated European culture as well as that of USA as it is its direct heir.
That's what Wikipedia says on the subject (it's interesting how Russian and English articles differ):
http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%F3%...80.D0.B8.D1.8F
Russophobia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia