Russian President Vladimir Putin has just been voted the world’s most influential person.
The controversial leader just sold advanced missile systems to Iran and has been accused of engineering a civil war in Ukraine - but still made it to the coveted top spot in Time Magazine’s annual TIME 100 poll.
The Russian leader has beaten the likes of the Dalai Lama, Barack Obama and Mark Zuckerberg.
Voters have rated the world’s most influential people in politics, entertainment, business, technology, science, and religion based on who they think has changed the world in the last year - “for better or worse”.
Voting has since closed and the official winner will be announced on Thursday.
Here’s the Top 10 as chosen by readers of TIME and see the full list here.
- Vladimir Putin
- CL of 2NE1
- Lady Gaga
- Rihanna
- Taylor Swift
- Emma Watson
- Dalai Lama
- Malala Yousafzai
- Beyonce
- Pope Francis
Putin is often dogged by criticism and speculation as to his motives. Here, we take a look at some of his most talked about moments.
Disappearing Act
Putin created a frenzy of internet speculation when he mysteriously disappeared for 10 days last month.
Speculation was rife that he had flown to Swiss Clinic, Sant'Anna, to witness the birth of his child with rumoured girlfriend Alina Kabayeva.
The Kremlin has long denied any relationship between the 62-year-old and the former Olympic gymnast, 31.
But this has not prevented widespread speculation in the Russian media which came to a head in 2008 when reports claimed the pair planned to marry after his retirement from government.
Other claims made during his vanishing act were that he had fallen ill with the flu. The rumours were sparked after the Russian leader postponed a trip to Kazakhstan, with a Kazakh government official telling Reuters news agency: “It looks like he has fallen ill.”
But those allegations were also repeatedly denied by Kremlin officials. Putin’s personal spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "Yes. We've already said this a hundred times. This isn't funny any more." He finally reappeared on March 16 to meet with the President of Kyrgyzstan.
More seriously, #Putindead went viral on Twitter with little proof while a Facebook page called R.I.P. Vladimir Putin attracted nearly one million “likes”, fuelling rumours of his alleged demise.
A smiling Putin did not address the issue while answering questions from reporters summoned for the occasion, saying only: "It would be boring without gossip."
Video: BBC News report on his return.
The Annexation of Crimea
In March last year, Putin made the decision to illegally annex the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea.
The shock move followed a fiery speech by the President that leaned heavily on Russia's past glories. Just two weeks before, however, Putin said Moscow had no plans to annex the Black Sea peninsula.
It was the first such move in Europe since the end of World War II, changing long-held assumptions about security on the continent.
Reports suggested there was a sense that many years of grievances with what Putin saw as an “unfair international system” influenced the move.
He said at the time: "They say we are violating norms of international law … It's a good thing that they at least remember that there exists such a thing as international law – better late than never.
"They have come to believe in their exclusivity and exceptionalism, that they can decide the destinies of the world, that only they can ever be right."
He has since revealed the moment when he initiated the military takeover, as reported by The Telegraph. In a trailer for a documentary on state television, he described how Russian forces prepared to swoop into eastern Ukraine to rescue Viktor Yanukovych - the country’s fleeing pro-Moscow president.
He claimed the order was given at 7am on February 23, 2014 after an all-night meeting in the Kremlin to discuss how to extract Yanukovych.
For a roundup of how the country has fared one year on from Yanukovych’s downfall, click here.
Missiles for Iran
Putin has now paved the way for the controversial delivery of a sophisticated anti-aircraft missile system to Iran.
The Kremlin lifted its self-imposed ban on Monday but the decision received sharp criticism from the White House and Israel - casting fresh doubt on the international effort to curb Tehran’s nuclear program.
Meanwhile, the US government warned that the delivery could complicate plans to eventually lift sanctions on Iran as part of a deal over the country’s nuclear programme.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said in a Guardian piece: “It’s safe to say that Russia understands that the US takes very seriously the safety and security of our allies in the region.”
According to reports, a Russian news agency quoted a Russian defence ministry official as saying it would be able to deliver the five squadrons of purchased S-300 missile systems swiftly to Iran once given the go ahead to do so.
Jibes at Journalists
In 2008, speculation was rife in opposition media that Putin had earned a $40bn fortune during his time in power. The accusation was never proven and the Russian leader let everyone know he had no time for it.
Speaking at a press conference that year, he said: “As for the eternal rumours about my financial position, I’ve looked at a few papers on that.
“It’s just chatter, nothing worth discussing. Just rubbish. They dug it out of their noses and rolled it off on their papers.”
But the Kremlin website translated the last phrase into English as: “They just made it up and included it in their papers.”
Flair for photos
This image of Purtin riding a horse in southern Siberia's Tuva region in 2009 went viral as part of an internet trend discussing the leader’s macho image.
His photos have inspired a "Shirtless Putin Doing Things" Tumblr while the Huffington Post compiled some of his most eye-catching moments - from extreme sports in Siberia to even holding a tiger's head.
He was also pictured firing darts with a crossbow from a motorboat at an endangered grey whale in the Sea of Japan in 2010 and is an avid Judo practitioner since taking up the sport at the young age of 11.
He has won a host of competitions and has even written a book on the sport. According to reports, he’s a sixth degree black belt with alternating red and white stripes.
This blog has outlined his most outrageous stunts.
