Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko, pop singer Alla Pugachyova and presidential spokeswoman Natalya Timakova took the top three spots on a list of the country's most influential women published Monday by radio station Ekho Moskvy.
The list's top 10 included others in the upper echelons of government, including Economic Development Minister Elvira Nabiullina, ranked fifth, and Health and Social Development Minister Tatyana Golikova, ranked sixth.
Socialite and TV personality Ksenia Sobchak was seventh on the list, and Moscow Helsinki Group head Lyudmila Alekseyeva was 10th.
The rankings were assigned by a so-called expert council composed of 24 journalists and other figures chosen by Ekho Moskvy. The council included 22 men and two women.
The experts ranked the women according to "their own impression of how influential one or another woman is," the radio station wrote on its website.
Matviyenko, speaking Monday on Ekho Moskvy, said the most influential woman is like the most influential man in that "it is a person whose ideas, actions and activity lead to visible changes, in the life of society and the life of the country," Interfax reported.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.