For the third year in a row, Forbes has ranked the Russian President as the most powerful person in the world, putting Vladimir Putin above Germany�s Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Barack Obama.
�Putin continues to prove he�s one of the few men in the world powerful enough to do what he wants,� the magazine said.

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Putin�s ratings haven�t suffered a bit � even after sanctions imposed by the Western countries and Russia�s deepening recession. On the contrary, his approval ratings in Russia have rocketed up to almost 90 percent.

Russia�s ongoing anti-terror operation in Syria, in which targeted airstrikes have already killed hundreds of militants, destroyed tons of terrorist hardware and much of their infrastructure, as well as Putin�s face-to-face meeting with Syrian President Bashar Assad have contributed to �making the US and NATO look weak in the region, and helping rebuild Russian influence abroad,� Forbes noted.

READ MORE: Putin tops Forbes �most powerful� list for 2nd year running

Angela Merkel, the most powerful woman in the world according to Forbes, has risen from fifth place last year to second place in 2015. Her strong stances when dealing with the influx of Syrian refugees and the Greek financial crisis brought her up to the new level.

By RT