Medvedev, Dmitry Anatolyevich << mehd VYEHD yehf, dih MEE tree ah nuh TAWL yuh vihch >> (1965-…), served as prime minister of Russia from May 2012 until he resigned from the post in January 2020. He had previously been president of Russia from 2008 to 2012, after being endorsed by outgoing President Vladimir Putin .
Medvedev was born on Sept. 14, 1965, in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg ), Russia. He received a law degree from Leningrad State University (now Saint Petersburg State University) in 1987. He received a Ph.D. degree from the same school in 1990 and taught law there during the 1990’s. Medvedev also worked as legal director for a timber company from 1993 to 1999.
Medvedev first became associated with Putin in 1990, when the two worked for the mayor of Leningrad. In 1999, Medvedev moved to Moscow to serve in the national government. In 2000, Medvedev ran Putin’s successful presidential campaign. That same year, Medvedev became chairman of Gazprom, Russia’s largest energy company. In 2003, he became Putin’s chief of staff. Putin named Medvedev first deputy prime minister in 2005.
When Putin’s second presidential term ended in 2008, he endorsed Medvedev’s election to the presidency. In return, Medvedev chose Putin to serve as his prime minister. In 2012 and 2018, voters again elected Putin to the presidency. Putin chose Medvedev to serve as prime minister both terms.
In January 2020, Putin proposed several changes to the Russian Constitution that could alter the roles of the president, the prime minister, and some other offices in the executive branch of the government. Medvedev then resigned as prime minister, and Putin appointed him to the office of deputy head of the security council. The council develops security policy for the nation and is headed by the president.
