I wonder, where is the difference?
Comparing Putin to Zelensky, is like comparing a power drill with a banana.
You can do it, but it will not provide much practical insight.
Putin went from deputy mayor of St. Petersburg, to unemployed, to deputy chief of Kremlin staff, chief of staff, Director of the FSB, Prime Minister, and then finally President. All this in about 3-4 years.
How did he achieve such a feat? Well, seemingly by being extremely impressive. Within the Soviet and Russian systems such a rise was and is simply impossible - unless you're Putin.
His boss in the St. Petersburg mayor's office noticed him immediately. His boss in the Kremlin administration said Putin stood head and shoulders above all his grey colleagues. Finally, Yeltsin - who was a pretty incredible judge of political talent - immediately recognized Putin's brilliance.
So...
1) Putin was basically head of a city of 5 million people
2) Managed the affairs of the President of Russia
3) Headed one of the world's largest intelligence agencies
4) Headed the entire Russian cabinet of ministers
All before becoming president.
Zelensky:
1) Was a comedian
2) Made a tv show about how a poor teacher becomes president of Ukraine, and proceeds to fire all corrupt men in government, raise pensions for all suffering seniors, and outfox Putin to bring a bloodless end to the conflict.
3) Did all this with the help of a single oligarch, Igor Kolomoysky, who is not able to leave the country because there's an open case against him in the United States for massive fraud.