February 06, 2008

We're Just Crazy about Dima



 


So what exactly do we know about Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev, other than that he is a loyal Putinista going back nearly two decades?

Well, first, we know that he is now Russia's most popular politician, having surpassed Putin in late December, thanks to the Kremlin PR machine.

Here are some other things we know:

  • Born: September 14, 1965.
  • His parents were from Krasnodar and Voronezh and met in St. Petersburg, where both became university professors.
  • He has always been a very serious student (like a "small old man" one former teacher once said), and his favorite book as a child was the Small Soviet Encyclopedia.
  • He met Putin while both were working for Anatoly Sobchak, to help him get elected to the Supreme Soviet. Medvedev, educated as a lawyer and a former student of Sobchak's at Leningrad State University, became a legal adviser to Sobchak when he was elected mayor of Leningrad.
  • In 1992, a group of St. Petersburg deputies accused Putin of raw material export machinations valued at $92 million. It was later believed that Medvedev, using his legal expertise, was instrumental in suppressing the scandal, thereby sealing Putinâ??s trust.
  • Medvedev ran some businesses and sat on some boards in the heady 1990s. One of these was Ilim Paper and Pulp, which he left just before it was revealed the Ilim had taken part in some illegal privatization deals.
  • After Putin was elevated to Prime Minister in 1999, he brought Medvedev to Moscow.
  • In 2000, Medvedev ran Putin's presidential campaign, which he won with 53% of the vote. Medvedev waas made deputy chief of staff, then chief of staff in 2003.
  • He has been deputy prime minister since 2005.
  • Since 2000, Medvedev has served in a senior capacity on the board of directors of Gazprom, one of the world's largest companies.
  • He is a big fan of heavy metal rock (Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath).
  • A few years ago, he was a bit pudgy and he began working out regularly. 
  • His officially declared income in 2007 was R146,000 per month, or about $6000.
  • He does not own a car, but his wife does - a Volkswagen Golf
  • He has reported asset in eight bank accounts with total deposits of R2.74 million (just under $100,000).
  • His apartment in Moscow is 367.8 square meters
  • He is married to his high school sweetheart and has a son, Ilya, who will soon be a teenager.

Other sources of info on Dima:


  • Russia Profile did a nice piece, providing perspective on his relationship to various clans.
  • Yuri Mamchur posted this nice, often funny photo essay about Dima.
  • An RIA Novosti posted this series of pictures of Dima's wife, Svetlana.
Tags: medvedev
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
Moscow and Muscovites

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955