Vladimir Putin is a vampire or other supernatural creature and is probably Vlad the Impaler. First, the evidence that he is a vampire or supernatural being: He has aged backwards.

Vladimir Putin in 2001

Vladimir Putin in 2013
Now that we see he is not normal and probably not a human at all, what is there to say he is Vlad the Impaler of Wallachia?
Same general first name:
Vlad.
Vladimir.
Same breed: Slavic.
Here's a big one, Same not-friends: The Turks, and other nations in former Ottoman land.
Putin does NOT like Turkey, especially after that little jet incident, which could have been avoided completely, regardless of who you side with. Now if that could have been avoided, why wasn't it? Perhaps "Putin" wanted Turkey to shoot them down, to give Russia a reason to act on the nation that gave Vlad the Impaler a lot of hell back in the 1400s?
And if that weren't enough, now he's in Syria fighting Muslims. Syria was Ottoman land, too, just like Turkey!
After Vlad Tepes "died," he laid low for a while, not making himself another prominent figure; however, he was fighting as a commoner in Slavic armies:

Now that a few hundred years have passed, he has decided to rise back up and take power, probably gaining influence in the Russian government by the 20th century, afterall, who was it again that rushed to take out the idiots who were in charge of Austria-Hungary in WWI? Russia. Why is this significant? Hungary helped rival factions oust Vlad in 1442! Vlad holds a grudge, hmm?
When Vlad Tepes decided that enough years have passed that nobody would take notice of him returning, he came back as Vladimir Putin. He changed his name only slightly, because his name is so badass, and carries much power. He's Vlad the Impaler, afterall! It's a part of him. It's also likely that Vlad is some sort of shapeshifter, or if not that, then he was wearing a wig during his reign as the Impaler. He allowed Bram Stoker to realize this and write a book about it. Every mastermind wants to have fun. There is always this small part of them that wants people to find out about their plans, so they will dangle small hints here and there for the masses to see. The masterminds will either get a thrill of being found out, or have a fun time laughing at the density of those who never find out. Stoker's "Dracula" is one such hint.
He has planned all this out. He is an individual who will be sticking around until the ends of time. If he's going to live forever, he wants to live in a world that suits him, which is why he fights, why he leads.
Open your eyes, and realize that Putin is not Putin at all! Vladimir is Vlad and Vlad is a Vampire, and all he wants to do is make his forever home of the world a better place. Join Vlad in his reformation of the world!
Edited 1/10/2016 06:01:31