I don’t see that, is he authoritarian, yes, but I certainly don’t see him wanting the “Cult of Personality” that Stalin had. No more so than Obama, at least.
WSJ - EmergingEurope has a good article on how Putin puts his face everywhere and the growing sentiment that he is trying to come across as a strongman to appeal to the Russian public. Whether it’s working or not is very debatable, as many Russians know he rigged the last election. He’s no Kim Jong Il, but I’d say he definitely is modelling himself on early Soviet propaganda. For the record, nobody pursues the Cult of Personality like Obama. Did you see him slow-jamming the news? Did you see the Greek columns? The man wants to take the title “God Of America”.