DMITRY MEDVEDEV

AGE: 41
OCCUPATION: First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia
NUMBER OF TIME COVERS: 0
PREVIOUS APPEARANCES ON THE TIME 100: 0

PRO: Chairman of the state-controlled oil and gas giant Gazprom, which sells natural gas to a host of European countries and is by far Russia's largest conglomerate. Medvedev, a former chief of staff to Putin, is also most likely the president's anointed successor.

CON: Russia has used Gazprom as a blunt tool in its aggressive moves to extract maximum profit from its oil and gas sales — it shut down gas exports to European countries in the middle of winter last year. On the political front, the field for succession remains open to challengers.