Stalin tops Putin in Russian poll

Russians have picked Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin as the greatest figure in history, a new poll said on Monday, beating President Vladimir Putin into joint second alongside poet Alexander Pushkin. In the poll conducted in April by the Levada Centre independent pollster, Russians were asked to pick the ten greatest individuals of all time. Stalin came out on top with 38 percent, while Putin shared second place on 34 percent with Russia’s beloved national bard Pushkin.