Putin named Russia's Man of the Year for 2013

MOSCOW, Dec. 28 (UPI) -- President Vladimir Putin has been named Russia's Man of the Year for 2013, his sixth consecutive win an an annual poll.

The poll by the independent Levada Center said Putin won the accolade from 26 percent of respondents, RIA Novosti reported Saturday.

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu was second with 7 percent.

Former U.S. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden tied with Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev for third place with 4 percent each.

Former Yukos oil head Mikhail Khodorkovsky, pardoned by Putin last week, was chosen by 3 percent of those polled.

The poll was conducted Dec. 20-24 among 1,603 people age 18 and older in 45 Russian regions. The margin of error was 3.4 percent.

A recent poll by the state-run Russian Public Opinion Research Center found Putin was the most popular politician of the year, with 40 percent of those asked ranking him at the top.