Well, as Pratchett got older, Lord Vetinari got more humanist. But think back to Guards! Guards!, and how he was presented as the archetypical evil ruler. He even said himself that you needed to be evil to rule.
Now I am full aware of the two main differences, in that Putin, unlike the Patrician, basks in his power and is just as much in it for personal gain and for the pomp, things Lord Vetinari famously disdained. But unlike most strongmen, Putin is politically canny and though ruthless, he doesn’t seem to outwardly feud.
And my statement is also a condemnation of real world leaders, for being so far from our favourite fictional dictator.
