Most Influential Russian Women

A ranking of the 100 most influential Russian women was prepared in 2011 by Ekho Moskvy radio station, RIA Novosti, Interfax news agencies, and Ogonyok magazine.

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© RIA Novosti . Mikhail Fomichev

Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko headed the 2011 top list of 100 most influential Russian women.

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© RIA Novosti . Mikhail Klimentiev

Alla Pugachyova. The singer recently took an active part in political life and joined the Right Cause party. She defended Mikhail Prokhorov in an inter-party dispute, but declined to head his election campaign team for the 2012 presidential elections.

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© RIA Novosti . Vladimir Rodionov

Natalya Timakova was appointed Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s spokeswoman in October 1999. Co-author of the book "From the First Person. Conversations with Vladimir Putin." In 2008, she became Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s spokeswoman.

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© RIA Novosti . Vladimir Rodionov

Svetlana Medvedev. In 1996, she gave up her career after their child was born, to spend time with the family, but later, before her husband was elected president, took up public and charity work. She was decorated with the Order of the Venerable Euphrosyne of Moscow which is awarded to outstanding Russian women.

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© RIA Novosti . Sergey Mamontov

In 2008, Elvira Nabiullina was appointed head of the revamped Economic Development Ministry in the new Putin government.

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© RIA Novosti Alexei Nikolsky

Tatyana Golikova. From 1999 and until her appointment as Healthcare and Social Development Minister, Golikova served as a deputy finance minister.

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© RIA Novosti . Grigory Vasilenko

Ksenia Sobchak. According to the Financial Times, Ksenia is the Russian version of Paris Hilton who grew to the level of a political journalist. On December 10, the professional celebrity attended a rally for the first time in her life. On December 24, she went on stage and addressed participants in the rally For Fair Elections.

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© RIA Novosti . Alexander Vilf

Gymnast Alina Kabayeva, European, World, and Olympic champion. Now, Deputy Chair of the State Duma Youth Affairs Committee.

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© RIA Novosti . Ruslan Krivobok

Human rights activist Lyudmila Alekseyeva. In early 1976, she joined the new human rights organization, the Moscow Helsinki Group, which she currently chairs. From 2009, Lyudmila Alekseyeva is one of the permanent organizers of Strategy 31.

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© RIA Novosti . Alexei Druzhinin

Yelena Skrynnik. One of the three women in the Russian government: in March 2009 she was appointed Agricultural Minister.

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© RIA Novosti . Alexei Nikolsky

Lyudmila Putin, the wife of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. She accompanied her husband in all his foreign trips, and during his working trips to Germany learned German, which she later taught at St. Petersburg State University. The year her husband became president, she founded the Center for the Development of the Russian Language, a regional foundation in Kaliningrad.

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© RIA Novosti

Svetlana Mironyuk. In 1992, began working for Vladimir Gusinsky's Most media group. In January 2003, became RIA Novosti chairwoman and is currently RIA Novosti’s editor-in-chief.