100 Most Powerful Women

By Irina Titova

The St. Petersburg Times

Published: January 25, 2012 (Issue # 1692)

ALEXANDER ZEMLYANICHENKO / AP Ksenia Sobchak, 7th in the ranking of Russia’s most influential women, speaks to journalists in Moscow last week.

Ex-St. Petersburg governor Valentina Matviyenko topped the list of the 100 most influential Russian women released this week.

St. Petersburg natives Svetlana Medvedeva, wife of President Dmitry Medvedev, and Ksenia Sobchak, a TV anchor and the daughter of St. Petersburg’s first mayor Anatoly Sobchak, also made the top 10 of the list, Interfax reported.

Medvedeva came in fourth, while Sobchak took seventh place.

Matviyenko, who is currently the speaker of the Federation Council, was followed on the list by veteran pop diva Alla Pugachova and the president’s spokeswoman, Natalya Timakova, Interfax reported.

Matviyenko told Ekho Moskvy radio station that “the most influential woman, as well as the most influential man, is a person whose ideas, actions and activities lead to noticeable changes in the life of society and the country as a whole.”

“It’s not important what area a person chooses to take these actions in, be it in a political, business, cultural or social sphere. What is important is that people see results and can evaluate them the right way,” Matviyenko said.

Matviyenko said that to be influential, a person needs to have qualities that make them a good leader, be effective and have a high profile.

“I have always stood for social politics that allow women to combine family duties with participation in other spheres as well,” she said.

Elvira Nabiullina, the Minister of Economic Development, was fifth on the list, while the country’s Minister of Health and Social Development, Tatyana Golikova, was rated sixth.

Chairwoman of the Moscow City Court Olga Yegorova and former gymnast champion Alina Kabayeva took the eighth and the ninth positions.

Lyudmila Alekseyeva, head of the Moscow Helsinki Group human rights organization, was 10th on the list.

Lyudmila Putina, wife of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, took 13th position in the rating, while Tatyana Yumasheva, daughter of Russia’s first president Boris Yeltsin, came in 17th, followed by his widow Naina Yeltsina at 19th.

Among the top 50 most influential women were many female politicians and public activists such as State Duma deputy Oksana Dmitriyeva from the Just Russia party, (15th), editor-in-chief of The New Times magazine Yevgenia Albatz (21st), TV anchor Tina Kandelaki (28th), actress and charity foundation co-founder Chulpan Khamatova (20th), singer Zemfira (26th) and ballerina Maya Plisetskaya (41st).

Former spy Anna Chapman came in 90th and tennis star Maria Sharapova 70th.

The rating was organized by Ekho Moskvy radio station, Interfax and RIA Novosti news agencies and Ogonyok magazine.