He served a couple of terms as one of a dozen Deputy Chairmen of the State Duma (an administrative rather than leadership role), and got single digit percentage vote shares on the five occasions he ran for President.

So, yes, he was a thuggish populist troll, and I agree that his mode of operation was often comparable to that of Trump. But he never had power, and never came close to getting it.

For that reason, I think most would see Trump as being in a completely different league.