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

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. 
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
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.
22 Russian Crosswords

22 Russian Crosswords

Test your knowledge of the Russian language, Russian history and society with these 22 challenging puzzles taken from the pages of Russian Life magazine. Most all the clues are in English, but you must fill in the answers in Russian. If you get stumped, of course all the puzzles have answers printed at the back of the book.
Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.
Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.
Russia Rules

Russia Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.
The Best of Russian Life

The Best of Russian Life

We culled through 15 years of Russian Life to select readers’ and editors’ favorite stories and biographies for inclusion in a special two-volume collection. Totalling over 1100 pages, these two volumes encompass some of the best writing we have published over the last two decades, and include the most timeless stories and biographies – those that can be read again and again.
At the Circus

At the Circus

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.

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
PO Box 567
Montpelier VT 05601-0567

802-223-4955