For the Hero of the Russian Federation see Dmitry Gennadyevich Medvedev. This name uses Eastern Slavic naming customs; the patronymic is Anatolyevich and the family name is Medvedev. Dmitry Medvedev 3rd President of Russia Incumbent Assumed office  7 May 2008 Prime Minister Vladimir Putin Preceded by Vladimir Putin First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia In office 14 November 2005  12 May 2008 Serving with Sergei Ivanov Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov Viktor Zubkov Preceded by Position established (Mikhail Kasyanov in 2000) Succeeded by Viktor Zubkov Igor Shuvalov Born Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev 14 September 1965 (1965-09-14) (age 45) Leningrad Soviet Union (now Saint Petersburg Russia) Nationality Russian Political party Independent (Formally)1 Endorsements: United Russia Fair Russia Agrarian Party Civilian Power Spouse(s) Svetlana Medvedeva Children Ilya Medvedev Alma mater Leningrad State University Profession Lawyer Religion Russian Orthodoxy2 Signature Website Official website

Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev (Russian: tr. Dmitriy Anatolyevich Medvedev IPA: dmitrj ntoljvt mdvedf ( listen); born 14 September 1965) is the third and current President of the Russian Federation. He won the presidential election held on 2 March 2008 with 71.25% of the popular vote and was inaugurated on 7 May 2008.

Medvedev was appointed First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian government on 14 November 2005. Formerly Vladimir Putin's Chief of Presidential Staff he was also the Chairman of Gazprom's board of directors a post he had held for the second time since the year 2000. Medvedev's candidacy was backed by then President Vladimir Putin.3

On 10 December 2007 he was informally endorsed as a candidate for the forthcoming presidential elections by the largest Russian political party United Russia and several pro-presidential parties and officially endorsed by United Russia on 17 December 2007. A technocrat and political appointee Medvedev had never held elective office before 2008. As President Medvedev has made economic modernisation one of his top agendas. Contents 1 Background 1.1 Early life 1.2 Student years and academic career 2 Early career 2.1 Career in St Petersburg 2.2 Career in the central government 2.3 Presidential candidate 3 2008 presidential elections 3.1 Election campaign 3.2 Election victory 4 Presidency 4.1 Inauguration 4.2 Personnel appointments 4.3 "Tandem rule" 4.4 Domestic policy 4.4.1 Economy 4.4.2 Police reform 4.4.3 Anti-corruption campaign 4.4.4 Education 4.4.5 Development of the political system 4.4.5.1 Election reform 4.5 Foreign policy 4.6 Relationship with Putin 4.7 2012 Presidential elections 5 Personal life 6 Publications 7 References 8 Literature 9 External links Background Early life Dmitry Medvedev in 1967 at the approximate age of 2.

Dmitry Medvedev was born on 14 September 1965 in Leningrad Soviet Union. His father Anatoly Afanasyevich Medvedev (November 1926  2004) was an expert in chemical processing and taught at the Leningrad State Institute of Technology.45 Dmitry's mother Yulia Veniaminovna Medvedeva (ne Shaposhnikova born 21 November 1939)6 had studied languages at Voronezh University and taught Russian at Herzen State Pedagogical University. Later she would also work as a tour guide at Pavlovsk Palace. The Medvedevs lived in a 40 m apartment at 6 Bela Kun Street in the Kupchino district of Leningrad.78 Dmitry was his parents' only child. The Medvedevs were regarded as a fairly typical Soviet intelligentsia family of the time.8

As a child Medvedev was bookish and studious described by his first grade teacher Vera Smirnova as a "dreadful why-asker". After school he would only spend a short while playing with his friends before hurrying home to work with his assignments. At the third grade he studied the ten-volume Small Soviet Encyclopedia belonging to his father.8 In the second and third grades he was very interested in dinosaurs and memorized all of Earth's geologic development periods from the Archean up to the Cenozoic. In the fourth and fifth grades he got interested in chemistry enjoying conducting experiments; after that he picked up sports practicing three or four times a week.78 In the seventh grade he became romantically involved with Svetlana Linnik his future wife who was studying at the same school on a parallel class.8 The romance negatively affected Medvedev's school performance. Medvedev calls the school's final exams in 1982 a "tough period when I had to mobilize my abilities to the utmost for the first time in my life."79 Student years and academic career The Faculty of Law building of Saint Petersburg State University

In the autumn of 1982 the 17-year old Medvedev enrolled at the Leningrad State University in order to study law. Although he also considered studying linguistics Medvedev later said he never regretted his choice finding his chosen subject increasingly fascinating as his studies progressed and said he was lucky "to have chosen a field that genuinely interested me and that was really my thing".78 Fellow students described Medvedev as a correct and diplomatic person who in debates presented his arguments firmly but without offending his opponent.8 During his student years Medvedev was a fan of the English rock bands Black Sabbath and Deep Purple. He was also fond of sports and participated in academic competitions in rowing and weight-lifting.10

He graduated from the Law Department of Leningrad State University in 1987 (together with Ilya Yeliseyev Anton Ivanov Nikolay Vinnichenko and Konstantin Chuychenko who later became his associates). After graduating Medvedev considered joining the prosecutors office and becoming an investigator; however he took an opportunity to pursue graduate studies as the civil law chair Medvedev's specialisation decided to accept three budget-funded post-graduate students to work later at the chair itself.7 In 1990 Medvedev defended his dissertation titled "Problems of realisation of civil juridical personality of state enterprise" and received his Candidate of Sciences degree in private law.10

Anatoly Sobchak a major democratic politician of the 1980s and 1990s was one of Medvedev's professors at the university. In 1988 Medvedev joined Sobchak's team of democrats and served as the de facto head of Sobchak's successful campaign for a seat in the new Soviet parliament the Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR.11

After Sobchak's election campaign finished Medvedev continued his academic career getting a position of docent at his alma mater now renamed to Saint Petersburg State University.12 There he taught civil and roman law until 1999. According to one student Medvedev was a popular teacher "strict but not harsh". During his tenure Medvedev co-wrote a popular three-volume civil law textbook which over the years has sold a million copies.8 Medvedev also worked at a small law consultancy firm which he had founded with his friends Ilya Yeliseyev and Anton Ivanov to supplement his academic salary.8 Early career Career in St Petersburg Facade of the Smolny Institute meeting place of the City Hall's Committee for Foreign Affairs where Medvedev worked as a consultant. In 1990 Anatoly Sobchak returned from Moscow and became Chairman of the Leningrad City Council. Sobchak hired Medvedev who had previously headed his election campaign as his adviser. Another of Sobchak's former students Vladimir Putin also arrived to help him. The next summer Sobchak was elected Mayor of the city and Medvedev became an expert consultant to the City Hall's Committee for Foreign Affairs which was headed by Putin. The Committee met at the Smolny Institute and Medvedev dropped by once or twice a week to help Putin. During this time Putin and Medvedev became friends. Putin sometimes took Medvedev to his family dacha on weekends and invited Medvedev to some of working travels abroad.78 In November 1993 Medvedev became the legal affairs director of Ilim Pulp Enterprise (ILP) a St. Petersburg-based timber company. Medvedev aided to company in developing its strategy as the firm launched a significant expansion. Medvedev also received 20% of the company's stock. In the next seven years Ilim Pulp Enterprise became Russia's largest lumber company with an annual revenue of around $500 million. Medvedev sold his shares in ILP in 1999 before his first job at the central government of Russia. The amount of profits Medvedev may potentially have received from his stock is unknown.8 Career in the central government Medvedev with Vladimir Putin on 27 March 2000 after Putin's victory in the Presidential election the day before. In June 1996 Medvedev's former colleague Vladimir Putin was brought into the Russian presidential administration and three years later on 16 August 1999 became Prime Minister of Russia. In November 1999 Medvedev became one of several people from St. Petersburg brought by Vladimir Putin to top government positions in Moscow. In December of the same year he was appointed deputy head of the presidential staff. Medvedev became one of the politicians closest to President Putin and during the 2000 Presidential elections he was Putin's campaign manager. Putin won the election with 52.94% of the popular vote. Medvedev has said he thoroughly enjoyed the work and the responsibility calling it "a test of strength".8 As President Putin launched a campaign against corrupt oligarchs and economic mismanagement. For this purpose he appointed Medvedev Chairman of Gazprom's board of directors in 2000. Together with Alexei Miller Medvedev managed to put an end to the large-scale tax evasion and asset stripping that was going on in the company by the previous corrupt management.13 Medvedev then served as deputy chair from 2001 to 2002 becoming chair for the second time in June 20027 a position which he held until his ascension to Presidency in 2008.14 During Medvedev's tenure Gazprom's debts were restructured15 and the company's market capitalisation grew from $7.8 billion16 in 2000 to $300 billion in early 2008. Medvedev also headed Russia's negotiations with Ukraine and Belarus during gas price disputes.15 In October 2003 Medvedev replaced Alexander Voloshin as presidential chief of staff. In November 2005 Medvedev moved from the presidential administration to the government when Putin appointed him as the First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia. In particular Medvedev was made responsible for the implementation of the National Priority Projects focusing on improving public health education housing and agriculture. The program achieved some major results such as increase of wages in healthcare and education and construction of new apartments but its funding 4% of the federal budget was not enough to significantly overhaul Russia's infrastructure. According to opinion polls most Russians believed the money invested in the projects had been spent ineffectively.8 In December 2005 Medvedev was named Person of the Year by Expert magazine a Russian business weekly. He shared the title with Alexei Miller CEO of Gazprom. Presidential candidate Medvedev with Vladimir Putin Following his appointment as First Deputy Prime Minister many political observers began to regard Medvedev as a potential candidate for the 2008 presidential elections17 although Western observers widely believed Medvedev was too liberal and too pro-Western for Putin to endorse him as a candidate. Instead Western observers expected the candidate to arise from the ranks of the so-called siloviki security and military officials many of whom were appointed to high positions during Putin's presidency.8 The silovik Sergey Ivanov and the administrator-specialist Viktor Zubkov were seen as the strongest candidates.18 In opinion polls which asked Russians to pick their favourite successor to Putin from a list of candidates not containing Putin himself Medvedev often came out first beating Ivanov and Zubkov as well as the opposition candidates.19 In November 2006 Medvedev's trust rating was 17% more than double than that of Ivanov. Medvedev's popularity was probably boosted by his high-profile role in the National Priority Projects.20 Many observers were surprised when on 10 December 2007 President Putin announced that Medvedev was his preferred successor. The announcement was staged on TV with four parties suggesting Medvedev's candidature to Putin and Putin then giving his endorsement. The four pro-Kremlin parties were United Russia Fair Russia Agrarian Party of Russia and Civilian Power.18 United Russia held its party congress on 17 December 2007 where by secret ballot of the delegates Medvedev was officially endorsed as their candidate in the 2008 presidential election.21 He formally registered his candidacy with the Central Election Commission on 20 December 2007 and said he would step down as chairman of Gazprom since under the current laws the president is not permitted to hold another post.22 His registration was formally accepted as valid by the Russian Central Election Commission on 21 January 2008.23 Describing his reasons for endorsing Medvedev Putin said: I am confident that he will be a good president and an effective manager. But besides other things there is this personal chemistry: I trust him. I just trust him. Vladimir Putin8 2008 presidential elections Election campaign Medvedev's election campaign took advantage of Putin's high popularity and his endorsement of Medvedev. Main article: Russian presidential election 2008 As the 2 March 2008 elections approached outgoing President Vladimir Putin remained the country's most popular politician. An opinion poll by Russia's independent polling organization the Levada Center24 conducted over the period 2124 December 2007 indicated that when presented a list of potential candidates 79% of Russians were ready to vote for Medvedev if the election were immediately held.252627 The other main contenders the Communists' Gennady Zyuganov and the LDPRs Vladimir Zhirinovsky both received in 9% in the same poll.2829 Much of Putin's popularity transferred to his chosen candidate with 42% of the survey responders saying that that Medvedev's strength came from Putin's support to him.3031 In his first speech after being endorsed Medvedev announced that as President he would appoint Vladimir Putin to the post of prime minister to head the Russian government.32 Although constitutionally barred from a third consecutive presidential term such a role would allow Putin to continue as an influential figure in Russian politics.33 Putin pledged that he would accept the position of prime minister should Medvedev be elected president. Although Putin had pledged not to change the distribution of authority between president and prime minister many analysts expected a shift in the center of power from the presidency to the prime minister post when Putin assumed the latter under a Medvedev presidency.34 Election posters portrayed the pair side-by-side with the slogan "Together We Win"35 (" ").2 Medvedev vowed to work closely with Putin once elected.36 In December 2007 in preparation for his election campaign Medvedev announced that funding of the National Priority Projects would be raised by 260 billion rubles for 2008. Medvedev's election campaign was relatively low-key and like his predecessor Medvedev refused to take part in televised debates citing his high workload as first deputy prime minister as the reason. Instead Medvedev preferred to present his views on his election website (http://www.medvedev2008.ru).37 In January 2008 Medvedev launched his campaign with stops in the oblasts.38 On 22 January 2008 Medvedev held what was effectively his first campaign speech at Russia's second Civic Forum advocating a liberal-conservative agenda for modernising Russia. Medvedev argued that Russia needed "decades of stable development" because the country had "exhausted its share of revolutions and social upheavals back in the twentieth century". Medvedev therefore emphasised liberal modernisation while still aiming to continue his predecessor's agenda of stabilisation.39 On 15 February 2008 Medvedev held a keynote speech at the Fifth Krasnoyarsk Economic Forum saying that: "Freedom is better than non-freedom - this principle should be at the core of our politics. I mean freedom in all its manifestations - personal freedom economic freedom and finally freedom of expression.39 In the Krasnoyarsk speech Medvedev harshly condemned Russia's "legal nihilism" and highlighted the need to ensure independence of the country's juridicial system and the need for an anti-corruption program. In economy Medvedev advocated private property economic deregulation and lower taxes. According to him Russia's economy should be modernised by focusing on four "I"s: institutions infrastructure innovation and investment.404142 Election victory Medvedev with Putin on election day on 2 March 2008 Medvedev was elected President of Russia on 2 March 2008. According to the final election results he won 70.28% (52530712) of votes with a turnout of over 69.78% of registered voters. The main other contenders Gennady Zyuganov and Vladimir Zhirinovsky received 17.72% and 9.35% respectively. At least 3/4 of Medvedev's vote was Putin's electorate. According to surveys had Putin and Medvedev both run for president in the same elections Medvedev would have received 9% of the vote.43 The fairness of the election was disputed by many western observers and officials. Andreas Gross head of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) mission stated that the elections were "neither free nor fair". Moreover the few western vote monitors bemoaned the inequality of candidate registration and the abuse of administrative resources by Medvedev allowing blanket television coverage.44 Russian programmer Shpilkin analyzed the results of Medvedev's election and came to the conclusion that the results were falsified by the election committees. However after the correction for the alleged falsification factor Medvedev still came out as the winner although with 63% of the vote instead of 70%.45464748 According to John P. Willerton the 2008 presidential elections and Medvedev's inauguration "represented an unprecedented moment in the over thousand-year history of the Russian state as a politically strong and healthy 55-year old president willingly turned powers to a similarly vigorous leader." At the time of the elections President Putin was on the height of his popularity. With United Russia's substantial majority in the State Duma Putin could have easily amended the constitution to allow him to serve a third consecutive term yet he refused to do so.15 Presidency Inauguration Taking the Presidential Oath in the Grand Kremlin Palace on 7 May 2008 On 7 May 2008 Dmitry Medvedev took an oath as the third President of the Russian Federation in a ceremony held in Kremlin Palace.49 After taking the oath of office and receiving a gold chain of double-headed eagles symbolizing the presidency he stated:50 "I believe my most important aims will be to protect civil and economic freedoms....We must fight for a true respect of the law and overcome legal nihilism which seriously hampers modern development." Dmitry Medvedev50 As his inauguration coincided with the celebration of the Victory Day on 9 May he attended the military parade at Red Square and signed a decree to provide housing to war veterans.51 Personnel appointments Medvedev appointed Sergei Naryshkin as the new head of the presidential administration. See also: Vladimir Putin's Second Cabinet On 8 May 2008 Dmitry Medvedev appointed Vladimir Putin Prime Minister of Russia as he had promised during his election campaign. The nomination was approved by the State Duma with a clear majority of 39256 with only communist deputees voting against.15 On 12 May 2008 Putin proposed the list of names for his new cabinet which Medvedev approved.52 Most of the personnel remained unchanged from the times of Putin's presidency but there were a couple of high-profile changes. Minister of Justice Vladimir Ustinov was replaced by Aleksandr Konovalov; Minister of Energy Viktor Khristenko was replaced with Sergei Shmatko; Minister of Communications Leonid Reiman was replaced with Igor Shchegolev and Vitaliy Mutko received the newly created position of Minister of Sports Tourism and Youth policy.15 In the presidential administration Medvedev replaced Sergei Sobyanin with Sergei Naryshkin as the head of the administration. The head of the Federal Security Service Nikolai Patrushev was replaced with Alexander Bortnikov.15 Medvedev's economic adviser Arkady Dvorkovich and his press secretary Natalya Timakova became part of the President's core team. Medvedev's old classmate from his student years Konstantin Chuichenko became his personal assistant.20 Medvedev was careful not to upset the balance of different factions in the Presidential administration and in the government. However the influence of the powerful siloviki weakened after Medvedev's inauguration for the first time in 20 years. In their place Medvedev brought in the so-called civiliki a network of St. Petersburg civil law scholars preferred by Medvedev for high positions.2053 "Tandem rule" From the beginning of Medvedev's tenure the nature of his Presidency and his relationship with Vladimir Putin was subject to considerable media speculation. In a unique situation in the Russian Federation's political history the constitutionally powerful President was now flanked with a highly influential Prime Minister (Putin) who also remained the country's most popular politician. Previous Prime Ministers had proven to be almost completely subordinate to the President and none of had them enjoyed strong public approval with Putin's previous tenure (19992000) as Prime Minister under Boris Yeltsin being the only exception.15 Journalists quickly dubbed the new system with a practically dual-headed executive as "government by tandem" or "tandemocracy" with Medvedev and Putin called the "ruling tandem".8 Professor Daniel Treisman has argued that early in Medvedev's Presidency Prime Minister Putin seemed ready to disengage and started withdrawing to the background. In the first year of Medvedev's Presidency two external events threatening Russiathe Late-2000s financial crisis and the 2008 South Ossetia warchanged Putin's plans and caused him resume a stronger role in Russian politics.8 Domestic policy In September the country was hit by the 2008 Russian financial crisis. Dmitry Medvedev attributed the decline in the Russian stock market to the impact of the liquidity crisis in the United States and contended that the crisis in Russia had little if anything to do with internal problems in its economy and government policies. He ordered the injection of large funds from the state budget into the markets to stabilize the situation.54 In his first address to the Russian parliament on 5 November 200855 Medvedev proposed to change the Constitution of Russia in order to increase the terms of the President and State Duma from four to six and five years respectively (see 2008 Amendments to the Constitution of Russia). Medvedev on 8 May 2009 proposed to the legislature and on 2 June signed into law an amendment whereby the chairperson of the Constitutional Court and his deputies would be proposed to the parliament by the president rather than elected by the judges as was the case before.56 In May 2009 Medvedev set up the Presidential Commission of the Russian Federation to Counter Attempts to Falsify History to the Detriment of Russia's Interests.57 Just like Prime Minister Putin few days earlier on 15 September Medvedev announced that he might stand for presidency again in 2012 but stressed that he would not challenge the former and that they would have to find an agreement. During the same speech he approved of the 2004 abolition of direct popular elections of regional leaders effectively in favor of their appointment by the Kremlin and added that he didn't see a possibility of a return to direct elections even in 100 years.5859 Economy Main article: Medvedev modernisation programme Model of a GLONASS-K satellite. Medvedev has made space technology and telecommunications one of the priority areas of his modernisation programme In the economic sphere Medvedev has launched a modernisation programme which aims at modernising Russia's economy and society decreasing the country's dependency on oil and gas revenues and creating a diversified economy based on high technology and innovation.60 The programme is based on the top 5 priorities for the country's technological development: efficient energy use; nuclear technology; information technology; medical technology and pharmaceuticals; and space technology in combination with telecommunications.61 For Medvedev the modernisation programme has become one of the most ambitious and important agendas of his presidency. In November 2010 on his annual speech to the Federal Assembly Medvedev stressed for greater privatization of unneeded state assets both at the federal and regional level and that Russia's regions must sell-off non-core assets to help fund post-crisis spending following in the footsteps of the state's planned $32 billion 3-year asset sales. Medvedev said the money from privatisation should be used to help modernise the economy and the regions should be rewarded for finding their own sources of cash.6263 Medvedev has named technological innovation one of the key priorities of his presidency. In May 2009 Medvedev established the Presidential Commission on Innovation which he will personally chair every month. The commission comprises almost the entire Russian government and some of the best minds from academia and business.64 Medvedev has also said that giant state corporations will inevitably be privatized and although the state had increased its role in the economy in recent years this should remain a temporary move.65 On 7 August 2009 Dmitry Medvedev instructed Prosecutor General Yury Chayka and Chief of the Audit Directorate of the Presidential Administration of Russia Konstantin Chuychenko to probe state corporations a new highly privileged form of organizations earlier promoted by President Putin to question their appropriateness.6667 Police reform Main article: Russian police reform Medvedev has made reforming Russia's law enforcement one of his top agendas. Medvedev initiated the reform at the end of 2009 with a presidential decree issued on 24 December ordering the government to start planning the reform. In early August 2010 a draft law was posted on the Internet at the address http://www.zakonoproekt2010.ru for public discussion. The website was popular with more than 2000 comments posted within 24 hours of its opening.68 Based on citizen feedback several modifications to the draft were made. On 27 October 2010 President Medvedev submitted the draft to the lower house of the State Duma.69 The lower house of the Duma voted to approve the bill on 28 January 2011 and the upper house followed suit on 2 February 2011. On 7 February 2011 President Medvedev signed the bill into law.70 The changes came into effect on 1 March 2011.71 Under the reform the salaries of Russian police officers will be increased by 30% Interior Ministry personnel will be cut and financing and jurisdiction over the police will be centralised.72 Around 217 billion rubles ($7 billion) have been allocated to the police reform from the federal budget for the time frame 2012-2013. 73 Anti-corruption campaign Main article: Russian anti-corruption campaign Medvedev chairing a meeting the Anti-Corruption Council on 30 September 2008 Fighting corruption has been one of the key areas of Medvedev's presidency. On 19 May 2008 Medvedev signed a decree on anti-corruption measures which included creation of an Anti-Corruption Council.74 In the first meeting of the Council on 30 September 2008 Medvedev said:75 "I will repeat one simple but very painful thing. Corruption in our country has become rampant. It has become commonplace and characterises the life of the Russian society." In July 2008 Medvedev's National Anti-Corruption Plan was published in the official Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspaper. It suggested measures aimed at making sanctions for corruption more severe such as legislature to disqualify who state and municipal officials who commit minor corruption offences and making it obligatory for officials to report corruption. The plan ordered the government to prepare anti-corruption legislation based on these suggestions.7677 The bill that followed called On Corruption Counteraction was signed into law on 25 December 2008 as Federal Law N 273-FZ.78 According to Professor Richard Sakwa "Russia now at last had serious if flawed legislation against corruption which in the context was quite an achievement although preliminary results were meagre."75 Russia's score in Corruption Perceptions Index rose from 2.1 in 2008 to 2.2 in 2009 which "could be interpreted as a mildly positive response to the newly-adopted package of anti-corruption legislation initiated and promoted by president Medvedev and passed by the Duma in December of 2008" according to Transparency International's CPI 2009 Regional Highlights report.79 On 13 April 2010 Medvedev signed presidential decree No. 460 which introduced the National Anti-Corruption Strategy a midterm government policy while the plan is updated every two years. The new strategy stipulated increased fines greater public oversight of government budgets and sociological research.8081 According to Georgy Satarov president of the Indem think tank the latest decree "probably reflected Medvedev's frustration with the fact that the 2008 plan had yielded little result."80 In January 2011 President Medvedev admitted that the government had so far failed in its anti-corruption measures.82 On 4 May 2011 Medvedev continued his anti-corruption efforts by signing the Federal Law On Amendments to the Criminal Code and the Code of Administrative Offences of the Russian Federation to Improve State Anti-Corruption Management.83 The bill raised fines for corruption to up to 100 time the amount of the bribe given or received with the maximum fine being 500 million rubles ($18.3 million).84 Education This section requires expansion. President Medvedev initiated new policy called Our New School and instructed the government to present a review on the implementation of the initiative every year.85 Development of the political system A Just Russia's Sergey Mironov was very critical of the 2009 regional elections Regional elections held on 1 March 2009 were followed by accusations of administrative resources being used in support of United Russia candidates with the leader of A Just Russia Sergey Mironov being especially critical. Responding to this Medvedev met with Chairman of the Central Election Commission of Russia Vladimir Churov and called for moderation in the use of administrative resources.86 In August 2009 Medvedev promised to break the near-dominant position of United Russia party in national and regional legislatures stating that "New democratic times are beginning".87 The next regional elections were held on 11 October 2009 and won by United Russia with 66% of the vote. The elections were again harshly criticised for the use of administrative resources in favour of United Russia candidates. Communist LDPR and A Just Russia parliamentary deputies staged an unprecedented walkout on 1415 October 2009 as a result.88 Professor Richard Sakwa has noted that although Medvedev has often promised to stand up for more political pluralism after the 2009 regional elections a gulf had formed between Medvedev's words and the worsening situation with the question arising "whether Medvedev had the desire or ability to renew Russia's political system."88 On 26 October 2009 the First Deputy Chief of Staff Vladislav Surkov warned that democratic experiments could result in more instability and that more instability "could rip Russia apart".89 On November 6 2010 Medvedev vetoed a recently passed bill which restricted antigovernment demonstrations. The bill passed on October 22 notably prohibited anyone who had previously been convicted of organizing an illegal mass rally from seeking permission to stage a demonstration.90 In late November 2010 Medvedev made a public statement about the damage being done to Russia's politics by the dominance of the United Russia party. He claimed that the country faced political stagnation if the ruling party would "degrade" if not challenged; "this stagnation is equally damaging to both the ruling party and the opposition forces." In the same speech he said Russian democracy was "imperfect" but improving. BBC Russian correspondents reported that this came on the heels of discontent in political circles and opposition that the authorities in their view had too much control over the political process.91 Election reform In 2009 Medvedev proposed an amendment to the election law which would decrease the State Duma election threshold from 7% to 5%. The amendment was signed into law in Spring 2009. Parties receiving more than 5% but less than 6% of the votes will now be guaranteed one seat while parties receiving more than 6% but less than 7% will get two seats. These seats will be allocated before the seats for parties with over 7% support.92 The Russian election law stipulates that parties with representatives in the State Duma (currently United Russia Communist Party of the Russian Federation Liberal Democratic Party of Russia and A Just Russia) are free to put forward a list of candidates for the Duma elections while parties with no current representation need first to collect signatures. Under the 2009 amendments initiated by Medvedev the amount of signatures required was lowered from 200000 to 150000 for the 2011 Duma elections. In subsequent elections only 120000 signatures will be required.92 Foreign policy With President of Argentina Cristina Fernandez on April 2010 The first meeting between Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama before the G20 summit in London on 1 April 2009 BRIC leaders in 2008 - Manmohan Singh Dmitry Medvedev Hu Jintao and Lula da Silva President Dmitry Medvedev at the 2nd ASEAN-Russia Summit in Hanoi Vietnam October 30 2010 In August during the third month of Medvedev's presidency Russia took part in the 2008 South Ossetia war with Georgia which drove tension in Russian-American relations to a post-Cold War high. On 26 August following a unanimous vote of the Federal Assembly of Russia Medvedev issued a presidential decree officially recognizing Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states93 an action condemned by the G7.94 On 31 August 2008 Medvedev announced a shift in the Russian foreign policy under his government built around five main principles:95 Fundamental principles of international law are supreme. The world will be multipolar. Russia will not seek confrontation with other nations. Russia will protect its citizens wherever they are. Russia will develop ties in friendly regions. In his address to the parliament on 5 November 2008 he also promised to deploy the Iskander missile system and radar-jamming facilities in Kaliningrad Oblast to counter the U. S. missile defence system in Eastern Europe.96 Following U.S. President Barack Obama's announcement on 17 September 2009 that Washington would not deploy missile-defense elements in the Czech Republic and Poland Dmitry Medvedev said he decided against deploying Iskander missiles in Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast.97 Relationship with Putin Although the Russian constitution clearly apportions the majority of power to the president speculation has arisen over the question of whether it is Medvedev or Prime Minister Vladimir Putin who actually wields the most power.98 According to The Daily Telegraph "Kremlin-watchers" note that Medvedev uses the more formal form of 'you' ( 'vy') when addressing Putin while Putin addresses Medvedev with the more informal 'ty' ().98 According to a poll conducted in September 2009 by the Levada Center in which 1600 Russians from across Russia took part 13% believed Medvedev held the most power 32% Putin and 48% both (7% failed to answer).99 However Medvedev has affirmed his position of strength stating "I am the leader of this state I am the head of this state and the division of power is based on this."100 2012 Presidential elections As both Putin and Medvedev could run for President in the 2012 general elections there is a view from some analysts that some of Medvedev's recent actions and comments are designed to separate his image from Putin's: examples noted by the BBC included his dealings in late 2010 with NATO and America possibly designed to show himself as being better able to deal with the Western nations101 and comments in November about the need for a stronger opposition in Russian politics to present himself as a moderniser. The BBC also noted that other analysts believe the split is exaggerated and Medvedev and Putin are "trying to maximise support for the authorities by appealing to different parts of society".91 There is belief that the court verdict on former oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky and his partner Platon Lebedev both of whom funded opposition parties before their arrests will indicate whether or not Putin "is still calling all the shots".102 Personal life Medvedev is married and has a son named Ilya (born 1995). His wife Svetlana Vladimirovna Medvedeva was both his childhood friend and school sweetheart. They married several years after their graduation from secondary school in 1982.103 Dmitry Medvedev and his wife Svetlana Medvedeva Medvedev is a devoted fan of English hard rock listing Led Zeppelin Black Sabbath Pink Floyd and Deep Purple as his favorite bands. He is a collector of their original vinyl records and has previously said that he has collected all of the recordings of Deep Purple.104105 As a youth he was making copies of their records although these bands were then on the official state-issued blacklist.106 In February 2008 Medvedev and Sergei Ivanov attended a Deep Purple concert in Moscow together.107 During a visit to Serbia Medvedev received the Order of St. Sava for "his contribution to the unity of the world Orthodoxy and his love to the Serbian people" it is the highest award of the Serbian Orthodox church.108 Despite a busy schedule Medvedev always reserves an hour each morning and again each evening to swim105 and weight train. He swims 1500 meters (approximately one mile) twice a day. He also jogs plays chess and practices yoga. Among his hobbies are reading the works of Mikhail Bulgakov and he is also a fan of the Harry Potter books after asking JK Rowling for her autograph when they met during the G-20 London Summit in April 2009.109 He is also a fan of football and follows his hometown professional football team FC Zenit Saint Petersburg.110 And since he has been living in Moscow he supports PFC CSKA Moscow as well. Medvedev is an avid amateur photographer. In January 2010 one of his photographs was sold at a charity auction for 51 million rubles (US$1750000) making it one of the most expensive ever sold.111 Medvedev keeps an aquarium in his office and cares for his fish himself.112 Medvedev owns a Neva Masquerade male cat named Dorofei. Dorofei used to fight with a cat belonging to Mikhail Gorbachevwho was Medvedev's neighborso the Medvedevs had to have Dorofei neutered.113 Medvedev's reported 2007 annual income is $80000 and he reported approximately the same amount as bank savings. Medvedev's wife reported no savings or income. They live in an upscale apartment house "Zolotye Klyuchi" in Moscow.citation needed On the Runet Medvedev is sometimes associated with the Medved meme linked to padonki slang which resulted in many ironical and satirical writings and cartoons that blend Medvedev with a bear. (The word medved means "bear" in Russian and the surname "Medvedev" is a patronymic which means "bear's"). Medvedev is familiar with this phenomenon and takes no offence stating that the web meme has the right to exist.114115116117 Medvedev is competent in English but due in part to protocol he only speaks Russian in interviews.118 Publications Medvedev videoblog posted after his visit to Latin America in November 2008 Medvedev wrote two short articles on the subject of his doctoral dissertation in Russian law journals. He is also one of the authors of a textbook on civil law for universities first published in 1991 (the 6th edition of Civil Law. In 3 Volumes. was published in 2007). He is the author of a textbook for universities entitled Questions of Russia's National Development first published in 2007 concerning the role of the Russian state in social policy and economic development. He is also the lead co-author of a book of legal commentary entitled A Commentary on the Federal Law "On the State Civil Service of the Russian Federation" scheduled for publication in 2008. This work considers the Russian Federal law on the Civil service119 which went into effect on 27 July 2004 from multiple perspectives  scholarly jurisprudential practical enforcement- and implementation-related.120 In October 2008 President Medvedev began posting a videoblog at the presidential website kremlin.ru (English).121 His videoblog posts have also been posted in the official LiveJournal community "blogmedvedev"122 since 21 April 2009 by the Kremlin administration. On 13 April 2009 Medvedev gave a major interview to the Novaya Gazeta newspaper. The interview was the first one he had ever given to a Russian print publication and covered such issues as civil society and the social contract transparency of public officials and Internet development.123 References First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev Endorsed for the Next Presidents Post Voice of Russia 10 December 2007. a b "World Europe Profile: Dmitry Medvedev". BBC News. 2008-05-07. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7136556.stm. Retrieved 2010-09-28.  Putin sees Medvedev as successor BBC News Viperson.ru Ekspress Gazeta 4 April 2008 "Transcript interview First Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev" (in Russian). Government of the Russian Federation. 24 January 2008. http://www.rost.ru/official/2008/01/24000012571.shtml. Retrieved 26 July 2008.  a b c d e f g "Dmitry Medvedev: Biography". Kremlin.ru. 2008. http://eng.medvedev.kremlin.ru/biography.  a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Treisman Daniel (2011). The Return: Russia's Journey from Gorbachev to Medvedev. Free Press. pp. 123163. ISBN 9781416560715.  Andreyev Sergey. " ". http://www.planputina2012.ru/2010/10/04/%D0%BF%D0%BE%D1%87%D0%B5%D0%BC%D1%83-%D0%BC%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%B2%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%B2/.  a b "Who is Dmitry Medvedev". Russia Today. 2008-03-04. http://rt.com/politics/who-is-dmitry-medvedev-2008-03-04/.  Umland Andreas (11 December 2007). "The Democratic Roots of Putin's Choice". Washington Post. http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/10/AR2007121001560.html. Retrieved 10 May 2008; Galina Kozhevnikova and Vladimir Pribylovskii Rossiiskaia vlast' v biografiiakh I: Vysshie dolzhnostnye litsa RF v 2004 g. Stuttgart: ibidem-Verlag 2007 p. 117.  Levy Clifford J.; p. A18 Goldmann Marshall (2008). Petrostate: Putin Power and the New Russia. Oxford University Press. pp. 141142. ISBN 9780195340730.  "Zubkov replaces Medvedev as Gazprom chairman". The New York Times. 2008-06-27. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/27/business/worldbusiness/27iht-27gaz.14046892.html.  a b c d e f g Willerton John (2010). "Semi-presidentialism and the evolving executive". In White Stephen. Developments in Russian Politics. 7. Duke University Press.  "Shares". Gazprom. http://www.gazprom.com/investors/stock/.  Russia: President's Potential Successor Debuts At Davos. 31 January 2007. a b " " (in Russian). Lenta.Ru. 10 December 2007. http://lenta.ru/news/2007/12/10/medvedev/. Retrieved 30 November 2008.  Treisman Daniel (2011). The Return: Russia's Journey from Gorbachev to Medvedev. Free Press. pp. 240261. ISBN 9781416560715.  a b c Sakwa Richard (2011). The Crisis of Russian Democracy: Dual State Factionalism and the Medvedev Succession. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521145220.  United Russia endorses D Medvedev as candidate for presidency ITAR-TASS 17 December 2007. Medvedev Registers for Russian Presidency Will Leave Gazprom Bloomberg 20 December 2007. (Russian) Decision No. 88/688-5 of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation 21 January 2008. Yuri Levada The Times 21 November 2006. 27.12.2007. 2007 The Levada Center 27 December 2007. (In the same poll when presented with the question of who they would vote for without a list of potential candidates only 55% of those polled volunteered that they would vote for Medvedev but another 24% said that they would vote for Putin. However it should be noted that Putin is constitutionally ineligible for a consecutive presidential term.) Poll says Putin's protg more popular than president Russian News & Information Agency 27 December 2007. Putin's Chosen Successor Medevedev Starts Campaign (Update2) Bloomberg.com 11 January 2008. Sakwa 2011 p.282 2007 Ledada Center 2007-12-27 Medvedev's Strength Is Putin: Poll The Moscow Times 16 January 2008. Sakwa 2011 p. 275 Speech by Dmitry A. Medvedev New York Times 11 December 2007 Drive Starts to Make Putin 'National Leader' The Moscow Times 8 November 2007 Putin seeks prime minister's post Associated Press 17 December 2007. "Moscow Times". 64.233.183.104. http://64.233.183.104/searchqcache:DxPsLpTTXOQJ:www.moscowtimes.ru/article/1010/42/361987.htm+%22we+will+be+victorious%22+putin&hlpl&ctclnk&cd1&glpl&clientfirefox-a. Retrieved 2010-09-28.  "New Russian president: I will work with PutinCNN". Archived from the original on March 5 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080305024307/http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/03/03/russia.election/index.html. Retrieved 3 March 2008.  Sakwa 2011 pp.282-283 Putin's successor dismisses fears of state "grab" Reuters 17 January 2008. a b Sakwa 2011 p.287 Sakwa 2011 p.287 Foreign investors expect reforms from Russia's Medvedevdead link Flintoff Corey. "Focus Shifts to How Medvedev Will Run Russia". NPR. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.phpstoryId87809345. Retrieved 2010-09-28.  Sakwa 2011 pp.284-275 "Europe Offers Congratulations and Criticism to Medvedev". Deutsche Welle. 3 March 2008. http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/02144316431200.html. Retrieved 13 April 2009.  Dmitri Medvedev votes were rigged says computer boffin The Times 18 April 2008 "Baldness Pattern: A New Cold War Analysis". http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.phpstoryId94340197. Retrieved 28 December 2008.  "The pattern of power: bald hair bald". The Daily Telegraph (London). 25 April 2007. http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/andrewmckie/blog/2007/04/25/thepatternofpowerbaldhairbald. Retrieved 28 December 2008.  Also noted in an episode of QI "ABC Live". Abclive.in. http://abclive.in/abcliveglobal/dmitry-medvedev-russia.html. Retrieved 2010-09-28.  a b Stott Michael (7 May 2008). "www.reuters.com Russia's Medvedev takes power pledges freedom". Reuters.com. http://www.reuters.com/article/gc07/idUSL0649335020080507. Retrieved 2010-09-28.  Medvedev decrees to provide housing to war veterans - ITAR-TASS 07.05.2008 15.27 "Prime Minister Putin appoints new government - 2". RIA Novosti. 2008-05-12. http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080512/107180100.html.  "All the Next Presidents Men". Russia Profile. 2007-12-19. http://russiaprofile.org/politics/a1198058207.html.  Halpin Tony (18 September 2008). "Russia floods markets with cash in shutdown  Times Online". London: Business.timesonline.co.uk. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/economics/article4780314.ece. Retrieved 24 December 2008.  "Full text in English". Kremlin.ru. http://kremlin.ru/eng/speeches/2008/11/05/2144type70029type82917type127286208836.shtml. Retrieved 2010-09-28.  "Itar-Tass". Itar-Tass. http://itar-tass.com/eng/level2.htmlNewsID14005381&PageNum99. Retrieved 2010-09-28.  Andrew Osborn. Medvedev Creates History Commission Wall Street Journal 21 May 2009. "St. Petersburg Times". Times.spb.ru. 2009-09-18. http://www.times.spb.ru/index.phpactionid2&storyid29784. Retrieved 2010-09-28.  "No change to method of appointing regional governors - Medvedev Valdai Club RIA Novosti". En.rian.ru. 2009-09-15. http://en.rian.ru/russia/20090915/156137520.html. Retrieved 2010-09-28.  "Russia Profile Weekly Experts Panel: 2009 Russias Year in Review". Russia Profile. 2009-12-31. http://www.russiaprofile.org/page.phppageidExperts%27+Panel&articleida1262277858.  Presidential Comission on the modernisation and technological development of the Russian economy Official site. (Russian) "Russia tells regions to join privatisation drive". Forexpros.com. 2010-11-30. http://www.forexpros.com/news/financial-news/russia-tells-regions-to-join-privatisation-drive-177837. Retrieved 2011-02-19.  "Privatization in regions to yield tens of billions of rbls-Kremlin". Itar-tass.com. http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.htmlNewsID15731844&PageNum0. Retrieved 2011-02-19.  "Russia Profile Weekly Experts Panel: Medvedevs Quest for Innovation". Russia Profile. 5 June 2009. http://www.russiaprofile.org/page.phppageidExperts%27+Panel&articleida1244223567. Retrieved 30 June 2009.  "Medvedev says giant state corporations to go private". RIA Novosti. 5 June 2009. http://en.rian.ru/russia/20090605/155178001.html. Retrieved 30 June 2009.  "-Online - ". Kommersant.ru. http://www.kommersant.ru/doc.aspxDocsID1226991. Retrieved 2010-09-28.  "Medvedev orders look at activity of Russian state-run businesses Russia RIA Novosti". En.rian.ru. http://en.rian.ru/russia/20090807/155754700.html. Retrieved 2010-09-28.  "Russia Profile Weekly Experts Panel: Will Police Reform Result in Name Change Only". Russia Profile. 2010-08-27. http://russiaprofile.org/expertspanel/a1282921466.html.  "Medvedev submits draft police law to Russian lower house". RIA Novosti. 2010-10-27. http://en.beta.rian.ru/russia/20101027/161109261.html.  "Medvedev signs police reform bill into law". RIA Novosti. 2011-02-07. http://en.rian.ru/russia/20110207/162489621.html.  "Will Russian police reforms be more than a name change". RIA Novosti. 2011-03-18. http://en.rian.ru/video/20110318/163081341.html.  "Russias rebranded police initiated with major layoffs". Russia Today. 2011-03-01. http://rt.com/politics/police-reform-major-layoff/.  "Russia to spend around $7 billion on police reform in 2012-2013". RIA Novosti. 2010-09-09. http://en.beta.rian.ru/russia/20100909/160525031.html.  Medvedev signs decree on measures to counter corruption RIA Novosti 2008-05-19 a b Sakwa 2011 p.329 Medvedevs Anti-Corruption Crusade Russia Profile 2008-07-08 National Anti-Corruption Plan Website of the President of Russia 2008-07-31. The Russian Federation Federal Law On Corruption Counteraction December 25 2008 N 273-FZ Website of President Of Russia Grafting the Future Russia Profile 2009-11-29 a b Nikolaus von Twickel (16 Apr 2010). "Medvedev Redefines Anti-Corruption Drive". The Moscow Times. http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/medvedev-redefines-anti-corruption-drive/403966.html.  National Anti-Corruption Strategy (Approved by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation 460 of 13 April 2010) Website of the President of Russia. Russian president admits failure in fighting corruption Xianhuanet 2011-01-13 Amendments to bolster anti-corruption legislation Website of the President of Russia Medvedev signs landmark anti-corruption law RIA Novosti 2011-05-03 Itar Tass "Pres to launch education modernization project in few days" Sakwa 2011 p.327 Polls show Russians back crisis plan: Putin's party Reuters 2009-10-12 a b Sakwa 2011 p.327 Kremlin warns against wrecking Russia with democracy Kyiv Post (26 October 2009) "Medvedev vetoes law restricting protests". Yahoo! News. November 6 2010. http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101106/wlafp/russiaprotestrightsparliament20101106070207. Retrieved December 4 2010.  a b Steve Rosenberg (2010-11-24). "Medvedev warns of political 'stagnation' in Russia". Bbc.co.uk. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11828222. Retrieved 2011-02-19.  a b "How the Duma electoral system works". Levada Center. http://www.russiavotes.org/duma/dumaelectionlaw.phpS776173303132732d47538b10f64be14861adc60c411e.  Russia recognises Georgian rebels BBC 26 August 2008. Retrieved 27 August 2008. Russia faces fresh condemnation BBC 27 August 2008. Retrieved 29 August 2008. "Medvedev outlines five main points of future foreign policy". En.rian.ru. http://en.rian.ru/world/20080831/116422749.html. Retrieved 24 December 2008.  Steve Gutterman and Vladimir Isachenkov. Medvedev: Russia to deploy missiles near Poland Associated Press 5 November 2008. Russia never placed Iskander missiles in Kaliningrad - Navy chief RIA Novosti 1 October 2009. a b Osborn Andrew (2010-03-07). "Dmitry Medvedev's Russia still feels the cold hand of Vladimir Putin Telegraph". London: Telegraph.co.uk. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/7386448/Dmitry-Medvedevs-Russia-still-feels-the-cold-hand-of-Vladimir-Putin.html. Retrieved 2010-09-28.  Poll: Medvedev and Putin: who holds the power Levada Center Retrieved on 12 March 2010 Medvedev insists he's the boss Retrieved on 12 March 2010 Jonathan Marcus BBC diplomatic correspondent (2010-11-20). "Russia 'to work with Nato on missile defence shield'". Bbc.co.uk. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11803931. Retrieved 2011-02-19.  Ostalski Andrei (2010-12-15). "Russia's most important court trial". Bbc.co.uk. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11994591. Retrieved 2011-02-19.  (Russian) Factnews.ru Russian 'bear' who loves Black Sabbath set to succeed Putin RIA Novosti a b Putin's Purple reign man Guardian Unlimited 10 December 2007 Medvedev Will Run Russia to Tune of Hard-Rock Band Deep Purple. Retrieved 8 March 2008. Times Online. How Deep Purple conquered the Kremlin in night of metal mayhem "Russian President Dmitry Medvedev awarded by the Serbian Orthodox Church : Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Orthodox Church". Mospat.ru. 2009-10-21. http://www.mospat.ru/en/2009/10/21/news6825/. Retrieved 2010-09-28.  "Russian President Harry Potter fan asks for Rowling's autograph /". Mosnews.com. http://www.mosnews.com/culture/2009/04/03/harrypotter/. Retrieved 2010-09-28.  Nicholas II FC Zenit Black Sabbath - Medvedev's favorite things ITAR-TASS 11 December 2007. " ". Lenta.ru. http://lenta.ru/news/2010/01/18/photo/. Retrieved 2010-09-28.  Baby-faced Dmitry Medvedev keeps fish tank in his office and listens to Black Sabbath Pravda 12 December 2007. (Russian) Moskovsky Komsomolets 15 March 2008 A Soft-Spoken 'Smart-Kid' Lawyer The Moscow Times 2 November 2007. (Russian) : ! Lenta.ru 5 March 2007. (Russian) Polit.ru 18 December 2007. Medvedev palatable to Russian liberals and western states Financial Times 11 December 2007. "Medvedev shows media-savvy side". BBC News. 29 March 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7970525.stm. Retrieved 31 March 2009.  (Russian) / 27 2004 . N 79- " " ( 2 2006 . 2 12 1 2007 .) Garant Database of Laws with Commentary. (Russian) Ozon.ru " ". Kremlin.ru. http://blog.kremlin.ru/. Retrieved 12 January 2009.  - Lenta.ru Muratov Dmitry (15 April 2009). " . 2009 (Interview with Dmitri Medvedev)" (in Russian). Novaya Gazeta N39. http://www.novayagazeta.ru/data/2009/039/01.html. Retrieved 15 April 2009.  Literature Sakwa Richard (2011). The Crisis of Russian Democracy: Dual State Factionalism and the Medvedev Succession. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521145220.  Treisman Daniel (2011). The Return: Russia's Journey from Gorbachev to Medvedev. Free Press. ISBN 9781416560715.  White Stephen ed (2010). Developments in Russian Politics 7. New York: Palgrave McMillan. ISBN 9780230224490.  External links Wikisource has original works written by or about: Dmitry Medvedev Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Dmitry Medvedev Kremlin.ru - official website of President of Russia (English) Personal website (English) Official Twitter (English) Official Kremlin Youtube channel (Russian) (English) Official Kremlin video-blog (Russian) Official Livejournal blog (Russian) Political offices Preceded by Alexander Voloshin Chairman of the Presidential Administration 20032005 Succeeded by Sergey Sobyanin New office Deputy Prime Minister of Russia 20052008 Served alongside: Sergei Ivanov Succeeded by Viktor Zubkov Succeeded by Igor Shuvalov Preceded by Vladimir Putin President of Russia 2008Present Incumbent v d ePresidents of the Russian Federation Presidents Boris Yeltsin (19911999)  Vladimir Putin (20002008)  Dmitry Medvedev (2008present) Vice Presidents (abolished 1993) Alexander Rutskoy (19911993) Acting Presidents Alexander Rutskoy (self-proclaimed 1993)  Viktor Chernomyrdin (1996)  Vladimir Putin (19992000) Presidents of Russian Soviet Republic  Presidents of the USSR v d eG8 Leaders Harper Sarkozy Merkel Berlusconi Kan Medvedev Cameron Obama Rompuy Barroso v d eG-20 leaders Fernndez de Kirchner Gillard Rousseff Harper Hu Barroso Sarkozy Merkel Singh Yudhoyono Berlusconi Kan Caldern Medvedev Abdullah Zuma Lee Erdoan Cameron Obama v d eBRICS leaders Brazil: Dilma Rousseff Russia: Dmitry Medvedev India: Manmohan Singh China: Hu Jintao South Africa: Jacob Zuma v d eAPEC leaders Gillard Bolkiah Harper Piera Hu Ma Tsang Yudhoyono Kan Lee M. Najib Caldern Key Somare Garca Aquino III Medvedev Lee H. Abhisit Obama Dng v d ePeople from Russia Leaders & Religious Pre-1168  11681917  19221991  1991present  RSFSR leaders  General secretaries  Soviet premiers (1st deputies)  Soviet heads of state (and their spouses)  Prime ministers (1st deputies)  Foreign ministers  Prosecutors general  Metropolitans and patriarchs  Saints Military & Explorers Field marshals  Soviet marshals  Admirals  Aviators  Cosmonauts Scientists & Inventors Aerospace engineers  Astronomers and astrophysicists  Biologists  Chemists  Earth scientists  Electrical engineers  IT developers  Linguists and philologists  Mathematicians  Naval engineers  Physicians and psychologists  Physicists  Weaponry makers Artists & Writers Architects  Ballet dancers  Composers  Opera singers  Novelists  Philosophers  Playwrights  Poets Sportspeople Chess players Persondata Name Medvedev Dmitry Anatolyevich Alternative names (Russian) Short description Politician businessman lawyer Date of birth 14 September 1965 Place of birth Leningrad Russia Soviet Union Date of death Place of death