President Vladimir Putin sits atop the list of the world's most influential people according to the American business magazine Forbes.
Putin climbed two positions up from his 2012 ranking due to his frequent demonstration of strength at home and on the global stage, Forbes' editors said.
The magazine, which is famous for its list of the world's wealthiest individuals, cited his handling of the Syria crisis as well as a firm stance with regard to NSA intelligence leaker Edward Snowden's application for asylum in Russia as examples of Putin's increased clout in the world.
In the rating of "72 Who Rule the World" Putin took the top position from last year's most influential individual U.S. President Barack Obama, who slid down to the second spot and was followed by Chinese leader Xi Jinping in third. Pope Francis and German Chancellor Angela Merkel rounded out the top five.
Other Russians on the list include Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, ranking 53rd, Rosneft president Igor Sechin, 60th, and Russia's wealthiest man Alisher Usmanov, coming 63rd.
In Jan. 2013 an article in another U.S. magazine, Foreign Policy, also put Putin on top of a list of the most powerful people.
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