Who's the one telling you that the USSR, Cuba, China, Venezuela or Vietnam are/were autocracies?

If you actually investigate countries that have substantive / economic democracy, which goes far beyond the liberal equality before the law, you'll find them to be far more democratic than the countries accusing them of being autocracies.

The US Empire being incredibly evil and predatory towards anyone daring to exert domestic control over their economies and even their own allies does paint a better picture for AES states. It doesn't make them automatically good, but it starts them off on the right foot.

Then you can analyze how AES states have brought immense democratizations of the economy, massive expansions in key quality of life metrics like education, literacy, life expectancy, Home Ownership, and more, while expanding worker rights and supporting the Global South against the Imperialist countries, it's hard to see AES as "bad."

There are genuine critiques of AES countries, but I wouldn't call them "autocratic," considering they are generally more democratic than western countries, and moreover the needs of the people are better met. For example, people in China believe the government represents their interests at rates surpassing 90%, and more Chinese workers believe they have democratic control than USian workers.

All of these considerations need to be taken into account, and the fact that these AES states have been treated with the harshest of violence from the US Empire means they are deserving of support for their own existence.