Eh, I don't think Putin himself is the mastermind. He just bullies his underlings into figuring out how to actually do things, and throws tantrums when he doesn't get what he wants. Like Trump, he really just seems like a big evil baby, and I highly doubt he pulls his weight in any kind of strategic planning that requires true brain power. He's not even a good orator, or creative liar. He literally just says the opposite of the truth, which makes him easy to figure out in a way.
He has only one skill, like the orange man, and that is demanding personal enrichment at all costs. He is, at the end of the day, just another basic KGB neanderthal.