He is an intelligent guy, it's curious that he received a lot of support from both the so-called extreme right and the extreme left…
Discussion
If the Russian "extreme right and left" are similar to the American "extreme" left and right, then that's likely where the populist sentiments are strongest. Putin seems to at least give lip service to populism in his country. At least, that's my armchair analysis from the other side of the globe.
He is always nationalist