Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin may have officially stepped down from the post of President last May, but he remains firmly in power, says Newsweek.
Putin ranks ninth in the list of most powerful people. With political opposition crushed and the media throttled, he's still in charge, says the magazine, adding that if the ex-KGB officer were to stand for Presidential elections in 2012, he could end up being on that post till 2024.
Photograph: Reuters/RIA Novosti/Pool
Advertisement
