puppet ruler vs puppet leader

puppet ruler and puppet leader both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
puppet ruler	Yes	No	No	No
puppet leader	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, puppet ruler and puppet leader are synonyms defined as:

puppet ruler and puppet leader: a leader or ruler who is chosen by a despot to head a government

puppet ruler (noun)	puppet leader (noun)
a leader or ruler who is chosen by a despot to head a government	a leader or ruler who is chosen by a despot to head a government