Moscow, Oct 31 – Russian President Vladimir Putin has been named the most powerful person in the world by Forbes, Xinhua news agency reported.
According to the U.S. business magazine published Wednesday, Putin moved two places from last year’s rating while U.S. President Barack Obama fell one spot to the second.
“Putin has solidified his control over Russia while Obama’s lame duck period has seemingly set in earlier than usual. Anyone watching this year’s chess match over Syria and National Security Agency leaks has a clear idea of the shifting individual power dynamics,” the magazine said.
Alexei Pushkov, head of the International Committee of the State Duma or lower house of Russian parliament, said the ratings reflect the place Russia occupies in world affairs.
“Putin’s first place and Obama’s second speak about the role of Russia in the changing world,” Pushkov said in a message posted on his Twitter account on Thursday.
Forbes also included three other Russians in its list: Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev (53th place), head of Rosneft oil company Igor Sechin (60) and businessman Alisher Usmanov (63).
– Bernama
