In a diverse field of competitors made up of pop stars, technology gurus, visionaries and politicians – and at a time when US-Russia relations have hit rock bottom – President Putin has emerged victorious in Time magazine – 2015 reader poll.

Among the 100 most influential people in the world, as hand selected by the editors of TIME, the Russian leader proved his rock-star credentials by edging out 24-year-old rapper Lee Chae-rin (better known by her stage name, ‘CL’) of the South Korean girl-group 2NE1 to claim the number-one spot with 6.95 percent of the votes in the final tally.