Childhood and youth
Dmitry Medvedev was born into an intelligent Leningrad family. 
His father, Anatoly Afanasyevich Medvedev, was a professor at the Leningrad Technological Institute. Lensoviet (currently - St. Petersburg State Technical University), and my mother, Yulia Veniaminovna, taught at the Pedagogical Institute. Herzen, later worked as a guide in the suburban reserve Pavlovsk. Dmitry was the only child in the family.
Dmitry Medvedev's childhood passed in the residential area of Leningrad - Kupchino. He attended school number 305 on Budapest Street. Nina Pavlovna Eryukhina, Medvedev's class teacher, recalled that Dmitry devoted all his time to studying, was fond of chemistry and often stayed in the office, conducting various experiments, but he was rarely seen walking with classmates. By the way, Dmitry still keeps in touch with the teachers of his native school.
In 1979, Dmitry joined the Komsomol, a member of which he remained until August 1991.
In 1982, Dmitry Medvedev graduated from high school, after which he entered the law faculty of St. Petersburg State University, which in those years bore the unpronounceable name of the Leningrad Order of Lenin and the Order of the Red Banner of Labor State University. Zhdanov.
Nikolai Kropachev, who at that time was a graduate student at the department of criminal law (in 2008 he became the rector of St. Petersburg State University), described student Medvedev as follows: “A strong, good student. He went in for sports, in particular weightlifting. Once he won something for his faculty. But in the main classes, he was the same as everyone else. Only diligently.
By the way, in his youth, the politician was fond of hard rock, his favorite bands are Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Dmitry listened to domestic rock, in particular, Chaif. In addition, as a student, Medvedev became the owner of the Smena-8M camera and became seriously interested in photography. Dmitry Medvedev did not serve in the army, but as a student he completed military training in Khukhoyamaki (Karelia).
In 1987, Dmitry received a law degree, then continued his scientific career in graduate school. For the next three years, he worked on his Ph.D. thesis on the topic “Problems of the implementation of the civil legal personality of a state enterprise”, while simultaneously teaching at the department of civil law in his alma mater, and also moonlighting as a janitor for 120 rubles a month.
Political career
When the elections of the Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR were held in March 1989, Professor Anatoly Sobchak was also among the deputies who ran. The future mayor of St. Petersburg was Medvedev's supervisor, and the young graduate student helped his mentor as much as possible: he put up posters, agitated passers-by on the streets, and spoke at election rallies. 
When Dmitry Medvedev defended his PhD in 1990, Sobchak, who already held the post of chairman of the Leningrad City Council, invited his ward to the staff, saying that he would need "young and modern" people. The young man accepted the offer, becoming one of Sobchak's advisers, while continuing to teach at the department. It was at Sobchak's headquarters that Medvedev first met Vladimir Putin, who was also invited to work by Anatoly Aleksandrovich.
When Anatoly Sobchak was elected mayor of Leningrad in 1991, Putin followed him and became vice-mayor, Dmitry Medvedev returned to teaching and also became a freelance expert for the Committee on Foreign Relations of the administration of St. Petersburg under Putin. As part of this position, he was sent to Sweden, where he completed an internship in local government.
In 1993, Dmitry became one of the co-founders of Finzell CJSC, where he owned half of the shares, as well as the legal director of the Ilim Pulp Enterprise pulp and paper corporation, and later was appointed Ilim's representative on the Board of Directors of the Bratsk timber industry complex.
In 1996, Dmitry Medvedev stopped working with Smolny in connection with the loss of Sobchak to Vladimir Yakovlev in the gubernatorial elections. And in 1999 he was appointed to the position of Deputy Chief of Staff of the Government of the Russian Federation. As suggested by the editors of the site, in connection with the appointment, he left teaching and moved to the capital.
After the departure of Boris Yeltsin, Dmitry Anatolyevich became deputy head of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation. In 2000, after Vladimir Putin won the presidential election, he took the post of First Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration.
At the same time, he took over as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Gazprom (in 2001 he was listed as Deputy Chairman) and held this responsible position until 2008.
From autumn 2003 to autumn 2005, Dmitry Medvedev headed the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation. In the same 2003, he was appointed a member of the Russian Security Council.
From October 2005 to July 2008, Dmitry Medvedev was First Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Council for the Implementation of National Projects and Demographic Policy. At the end of 2005, he was appointed First Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation (reappointed to the position in September 2007).
From mid-2006, for two years, Medvedev was chairman of the presidium of the Council for the implementation of national projects.
Election campaign
In November 2005, Medvedev's election campaign started de facto on central television channels; at the same time, Dmitry Anatolyevich's pre-election website was registered. A few months later, the politician began to be mentioned in the press as a favorite of Vladimir Putin. 
In September 2006, Medvedev headed the International Board of Trustees of the Skolkovo Moscow School of Management. And six months later, in early 2007, Medvedev began to be called the main potential candidate for the Russian presidency. According to analysts, even then 33% of voters in the first round and 54% in the second were ready to vote for him.
The active phase of the election campaign began in October 2007. A couple of months later, Putin supported Medvedev's candidacy, after which, at the congress of United Russia, Dmitry Anatolyevich was officially nominated for the presidency.
During the submission of documents to the Central Election Commission, Dmitry Medvedev announced that he would leave the post of the Gazprom Board of Directors if he became president.
Presidency
On March 2, 2008, Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev was elected the third president of the Russian Federation, ahead of his main rivals - Vladimir Zhirinovsky (LDPR), Gennady Zyuganov (KPRF) and Andrei Bogdanov (DPR) - with an overwhelming majority of 70.28% of the votes. 
Two months after the official summing up of the election campaign (May 7), Dmitry Medvedev was inaugurated. In his inaugural speech, he stated the need to focus on civil and economic freedoms. The first decree signed by Medvedev in his new position was the Federal Law, which was supposed to provide free housing for veterans of the Great Patriotic War.
The beginning of Medvedev's presidency coincided with the beginning of the global financial crisis and with the armed conflict with Georgia on the territory of South Ossetia, which became the most significant event in Medvedev's foreign policy.
Dmitry Medvedev on the conflict in South Ossetia (2013)
As Dmitry Anatolyevich himself admitted, the so-called "five-day" war came as a surprise to him. Some tension in relations between Russia and Georgia was felt in early 2008, but, according to the president, he "had no idea what ideas live in Saakashvili's inflamed brain."
The escalation of the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict took place at the end of July - the beginning of August; third month of Medvedev's presidency. On the night of August 7-8, the Minister of Defense called the President and told about the beginning of hostilities by the Georgian troops. When Anatoly Serdyukov reported the death of Russian peacekeepers, Medvedev ordered to open fire to kill. It was his personal decision, made without the participation of ministers. On the morning of the 8th, Russian aviation began shelling military facilities located on the territory of Georgia.
On August 12, 2008, Dmitry Anatolyevich and French President Nicolas Sarkozy adopted a plan to resolve the contradictions, signed a few days later by the presidents of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, as well as Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.
Despite decisive action by the president at a critical moment, many analysts tend to believe that Medvedev's foreign policy has been punctuated by both comparative successes and obvious setbacks. So, despite the initially well-established relations between Medvedev and Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, who replaced Viktor Yushchenko, Ukraine never joined the Customs Union, and the situation with the “gas” relations of the countries worsened.
Great excitement among the patriotic public was caused by Medvedev's position on the Libyan issue. At his request, Russia abstained from voting on a resolution in the UN Security Council when its members were deciding on a possible military operation in Libya to protect the civilian population from Gaddafi's troops.
Events in Libya quarreled between Putin and Medvedev
Dmitry Medvedev's efforts in the social sphere have borne fruit: during his presidency, population growth has stabilized, reaching a peak value in several decades, the percentage of large families has increased; the real incomes of the population increased by almost 20%, the average size of pensions doubled; more than a million families have improved their living conditions thanks to the maternity capital program. Much has been done in the field of small business - Medvedev contributed to the simplification of the procedure for starting one's own business, and also removed some restrictions for entrepreneurs.
The foundation was laid for the creation of a powerful research center, which was supposed to become an analogue of the American Silicon Valley. In September 2010, Medvedev signed FZ-244 "On the Skolkovo Innovation Center". The working group of the Skolkovo project was led by Vladislav Surkov.
Dmitry Medvedev about Skolkovo
At the initiative of the President, in 2009-2011, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia was reformed, and law enforcement agencies were renamed "police". Also, according to the Minister of Internal Affairs Rashid Nurgaliyev, the level of social protection and the efficiency of the work of employees of internal bodies was increased.
With the support of Anatoly Serdyukov, the reform of the Armed Forces was also initiated, which consisted in optimizing the number of officers, optimizing the management system (transition from a 4-tier hierarchy to a 3-tier one) and reforming military education.
Also, during Medvedev's cadence, the presidential term was increased from 4 to 6 years, and that of the Duma from 4 to 5. In September 2010, Medvedev removed Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, who had exhausted the government's credit of trust. Subsequently, Sergei Sobyanin was appointed to take his place.
In September 2011, it was announced that Vladimir Putin would nominate his candidacy in the presidential elections in 2012, and in case of victory, Dmitry Medvedev would head the government.
The results of the presidency of Dmitry Medvedev
In general, Dmitry Medvedev's presidency has received mixed reviews. Thus, the well-known publicist Dmitry Bykov reproached him with “hypertrophied attention to the third-rate”, many public figures criticized Medvedev for the lack of real power, while Alexei Kudrin, who was the Minister of Finance until September 2011, stated that he “was a witness to the development and adoption of many key decisions” personally Medvedev.
Dmitry Medvedev was especially warmly treated by Russian Internet users. Thanks to his interest in technology and openness of character, the president has repeatedly become the subject of videos that are rapidly spreading across the Web. For example, a video in which Dmitry Medvedev dances to the song "American Boy" along with showman Garik Martirosyan has collected several million views.
Dmitry Medvedev dancing
Further activities
After Vladimir Putin was elected President in the 2012 elections, Dmitry Medvedev headed the Government and became the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation. Under his command are prominent political figures of Russia: First Deputy Igor Shuvalov, Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu, Minister of Internal Affairs Vladimir Kolokoltsev, Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov, Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky and others. 
In May 2012, Dmitry Medvedev was appointed chairman of United Russia.
In 2016, Dmitry Medvedev headed the Government of the Russian Federation and the United Russia party, being one of the country's key political figures. He was elected to the main Program Commission, which was involved in the development of the political course of the party. He oversaw economic issues, in particular, pricing and import substitution, solved problems in the field of healthcare and education. Several times he visited Crimea on a business trip, which was the reason for the protest note of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.
Dmitry Medvedev: “There is no money, but you hold on”
In early 2017, the prime minister was at the center of a major corruption scandal. Opposition politician Alexei Navalny and his Anti-Corruption Foundation posted on YouTube a 50-minute video investigation titled "He's not Dimon to you" (a reference to a quote from the Prime Minister's press secretary Natalya Timakova), alleging that Medvedev was heading a multi-level corruption scheme based on on charitable foundations. The key place in the investigation was occupied by the "Dar" fund, headed by a classmate of the prime minister, Ilya Eliseev. The film also showcased Medvedev's alleged mansions in Phesako, his vineyard and castle in Tuscany, and two yachts, the Fotinia.
On March 26, thousands of Russians took to the streets demanding answers from the government to the allegations in the FBK film. The answer from Dmitry Anatolyevich was made on April 19. “I will not specifically comment on the absolutely false products of political crooks,” he said during a speech in the State Duma. On June 12, another wave of anti-corruption rallies awaited Russia.
After the 2018 presidential election, Dmitry Medvedev retained the prime minister's chair. Although the deputies of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and Just Russia (with the exception of 4 people) refused to support his candidacy, most of the deputies of the State Duma supported his appointment - 376 people, i.е. 83%. During a speech to members of the lower house of parliament, Medvedev thanked them for their trust and announced the upcoming increase in the retirement age.
Hobbies and personal life of Dmitry Medvedev
The wife of Dmitry Medvedev is Svetlana Linnik, his school friend from the parallel. According to Dmitry Anatolyevich, mutual sympathy between them arose back in their school years, but only in the senior class did he pluck up the courage and confess to the girl in his feelings. 
After graduation, their paths diverged: Svetlana became a student at LEFI, while Dmitry chose Leningrad State University; during the student period, they practically did not communicate, but a chance meeting reminded them of past feelings. In 1989, the lovers got married.
In August 1995, Dmitry and Svetlana became parents - the boy who was born was named Ilya. Medvedev Jr. grew up capable of exact sciences, was fond of football, saber fencing and computer technology. In 2007, he starred in several episodes of Yeralash by Boris Grachevsky. In 2012, Ilya entered MGIMO with 359 points out of 400 possible.
"Yeralash" with the son of Dmitry Medvedev
The Medvedev family loves animals. The spouses have a cat and a cat of the Neva Masquerade breed - Dorofei and Milka, who more than once became the heroes of news articles. Dmitry Medvedev is also the owner of four dogs: English setters Daniel and Jolie, a Central Asian Shepherd Dog whose name is unknown to the press, and a golden retriever Alba.
It's no secret that Dmitry Medvedev closely follows new technologies and is an active user of social networks. Medvedev's first computer appeared in the early 80s; it was a Soviet M-6000 computer. He is registered on Odnoklassniki, VKontakte, Twitter and Instagram, and was one of the first politicians to start addressing the population through a video blog.
V. Putin was recently re-elected President of Russia, but for four years the country was at least formally led by D. Medvedev. Therefore, it is worth remembering what his presidency was like.
Many experts believe that D. Medvedev never managed to get out of the shadow of V. Putin, who probably chose him as the weakest (without his team) and the most faithful candidate for temporary successors. At the same time, with the advent of D. Medvedev to the Kremlin, a new form of dual power (ruling tandem) was born in Russian politics, and it cannot be said that his rule was completely gray.
Initially, the West and local democrats hoped that D. Medvedev was a consistent liberal, but it soon became clear that this was not the case. M. Khodorkovsky remained in prison, and A. Kudrin was expelled from the government, having allowed himself to criticize excessive government spending on defense.
D. Medvedev began by increasing the presidential term to six years, and the Duma - to five. At the end of his term, a new (less stringent in terms of registration requirements) law on political parties appeared, and it was decided to return to the election of governors. However, there are doubts that these measures will have a significant positive impact on Russian political life.
What Russians will really remember is D. Medvedev's decision to rename the militia into the police. The goal, of course, was a deep reform of the system of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but there are no noticeable changes for the better in this area: people die from torture in police stations, and the president reappoints A. Tkachev as governor of the Krasnodar Territory, where the most brutal massacre was committed in the village of Kushchevskaya, and into the criminal activity apparently involved the district prosecutor's office. True, the mayor of Moscow Yu. Luzhkov finally lost the confidence of the head of state, but for some reason a great many other corrupt officials continue to remain in their warm places.
D. Medvedev will remain in the memory of the citizens of Russia as the president from Twitter, which essentially ended the modernization he proclaimed. Of course, there is also his favorite brainchild called Skolkovo, which should become the Russian analogue of Silicon Valley. However, the prospects for the development of this project are still quite vague.
At the same time, it should be recognized that D. Medvedev accepted Russia during the world economic crisis, but Prime Minister V. Putin fought its consequences to a greater extent, spending the funds accumulated during his reign. In fact, D. Medvedev became the president of the end of the era of stabilization, who personally decided not to change the clock anymore.
In foreign policy, he had several comparative successes bordering on obvious failures. The war with Georgia was a real test for D. Medvedev, which he withstood with honor, appearing before the people in the guise of a "tough" leader (although evil tongues are talking that V. Putin was again in charge of everything). Then there was Ukraine: D. Medvedev sent a well-known video appeal to its President V. Yushchenko, in which he accused the former of all mortal sins and thus “burned bridges”. With the new - allegedly pro-Russian - head of the Ukrainian state V. Yanukovych, Dmitry Anatolyevich at first seemed to have good relations: the famous Kharkov agreements on gas and the Black Sea Fleet were signed. But this was D. Medvedev's first and last victory in the Ukrainian direction. Try as it may, Moscow has so far failed to force Ukraine to join the Customs Union. And again, problems with gas prices began, which led to another dead end in bilateral relations.
D. Medvedev's position on Libya caused great indignation in Russian patriotic circles. Then Russia abstained in the UN Security Council, after which even V. Putin, who is usually correct in such cases, allowed himself to openly disagree with such a step: not so much because of the lost military and other contracts, but because Moscow ceded to America and Europe in a matter of principle.
In the case of Syria, Iran and missile defense, D. Medvedev (probably under pressure from the same V. Putin) has already corrected himself. He especially liked to scare the United States with the deployment of Iskander complexes in the Kaliningrad region. At first, Washington seemed to take into account Russia's concerns and revised its plans to deploy elements of its missile defense system in the Czech Republic and Poland. But this, most likely, was only the creation of a favorable background for the signing of a new START treaty between the countries, and then everything started all over again: American ambitions and Russian threats.
Summarizing, we can say that in order to remember what D. Medvedev did during his reign, you need to strain. He tried to be a real president, but he did not succeed well: either V. Putin corrected decisions, or he himself made mistakes. However, it was noticeable that D. Medvedev wanted to stay. But V. Putin decided differently, and so that his tandem partner would not be too upset, he offered him the post of prime minister.
He was elected President of the Russian Federation on March 2, 2008. The main program tasks set by the new president were as follows: improving the level and quality of life of the population, continuing work on priority national projects; the principle “freedom is better than lack of freedom”; “... the main thing for our country is the continuation of a calm and stable development”; adherence to the ideas of the 2000 Concept - development of institutions, infrastructure, innovations, investments, cooperation and assistance to business; the return of Russia to the status of a world power and its further development, integration into world relations, its own position on all key international issues.
Domestic policy The beginning of D. A. Medvedev's presidency coincided with the financial crisis of 2008-2009. The reasons for the crisis were as follows.
1. Dependence of the Russian economy on the West and the USA.
2. Military conflict with Georgia and its negative consequences. The fall in world oil prices has hurt the Russian economy. A significant outflow of capital abroad and "flight of investors from the country" began. A specific factor in the development of the crisis was the presence of a significant external debt of Russian companies.
As a result, there is an increase in inflation, a drop in the level of incomes of the population, unemployment due to “optimization of production” - the mass closure of enterprises, their restructuring and layoffs, and increased corruption. On December 30, 2008, D. A. Medvedev signed the law on amendments to the Constitution (law of the Russian Federation of December 30, 2008 No. 6-FKZ “On changing the term of office of the President of the Russian Federation and the State Duma”). Now the President of the Russian Federation is elected for a term of 6 years (instead of 4, Art. 81), the composition of the State Duma - for 5 years (instead of 4, Art. 96). The names of several subjects of the Federation have changed.
The amendments were sharply opposed by the Yabloko and the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, arguing that this would lead to a decrease in electoral activity and to the monopolization of power. On September 28, 2010, the law "On the Skolkovo Innovation Center" was adopted. According to the intentions of the creators, the modern scientific and technological innovation complex under construction in Moscow for the development and commercialization of new technologies was supposed to occupy an entire microdistrict and become the largest research and development center (“Russian Silicon Dole?” on). The scientific staff of the center was estimated at about 50 thousand people.
Telecommunications and space, biomedical technologies, energy efficiency, information technologies, nuclear technologies were identified as priority research areas for Skolkovo. Finnish campaigns Nokia Solutions and Networks, German Siemens and SAP, Italian universities, Tokyo private University Waseda Type, and others were involved as partners. during construction, lack of real support and initial subsidies.
The next notable event during the years of D. A. Medvedev's presidency was the law "On Police", which entered into force on March 1, 2011. The police were supposed to replace the existing police. The decree was intended to improve the efficiency of work and improve the image of law enforcement agencies, and also paid tribute to historical and European traditions. In June 2011, a decree “On the Calculation of Time” was issued, which defines the calculation of time in Russia, time zones and local time. The decree abolished summer and winter time, clocks were no longer switched to winter time18. D. A. Medvedev continued the fight against oligarchic capital.
One of the high-profile cases that became known throughout the country is the removal of Yu. M. Luzhkov from the post of mayor of Moscow (since 1992). On September 28, 2010, the president signed a decree “Remove… from the post of mayor of Moscow in connection with the loss of confidence of the President of the Russian Federation” 19. The president paid great attention to the fight against corruption. In 2008, he signed several decrees, and in March 2012, a national anti-corruption plan for 2012-2013 was issued. Foreign Policy On July 12, 2008, the so-called "Medvedev Doctrine" was adopted.
It included 5 positions: 1. The primacy of the fundamental principles of international law. 2. Rejection of the unipolar world and the construction of multipolarity. 3. Avoiding isolation and confrontation with other countries.
4. Protecting the life and dignity of Russian citizens "wherever they are." Protecting the interests of the Russian Federation “in its friendly regions” 20. On June 17, 2008, D. A. Medvedev signed a decree on a visa-free regime for crossing the border of the Russian Federation by non-citizens of Latvia and Estonia, former citizens of the USSR21. On August 7-26, 2008, there was a military conflict in South Ossetia, in which Russia was directly involved.
South Ossetia is the former territory of the Georgian SSR, which in 1992 separated into an independent unrecognized state. The republic had its own government, constitution, armed forces. Since 1989, bloody ethnic clashes have repeatedly taken place on its territory.
The Georgian government considered South Ossetia its territory, but did not take active steps to regain control until 2008. Russia initially supported the government of South Ossetia, its desire for complete independence from Georgia. With the coming to power of M. Saakashvili, the Georgian national policy became tougher. On the night of August 7-8, Georgian troops began an intensive shelling of the capital of South Ossetia, Tskhinvali, followed by an assault on the city. As a result of the attack, more than ten Russian servicemen of the peacekeeping forces were killed and several dozen wounded.
The official reason for the attack on Tskhinvali, according to the Georgian side, was the violation of the ceasefire by South Ossetia, which, in turn, claims that Georgia was the first to open fire. On the morning of August 8, Russian aviation began bombing targets in Georgia. On August 9, President D. A. Medvedev, as Supreme Commander-in-Chief, announced a state of war with Georgia. Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation S.V. Lavrov said that the reasons for the deployment of Russian troops were Georgia's aggression against the territories of South Ossetia not controlled by it and the consequences of this aggression: a humanitarian catastrophe, the exodus of 30 thousand refugees from the region, the death of Russian peacekeepers and many residents of South Ossetia.
Lavrov qualified the actions of the Georgian army against civilians as genocide 22. On August 11, Russian troops crossed the borders of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and invaded Georgian territory directly, occupied a number of important cities. On August 12, President of the European Union, French President Nicolas Sarkozy paid a working visit to Moscow. Together with D. A. Medvedev and V. V. Putin, they compiled six principles for the peaceful settlement of the Russian-Georgian-Ossetian conflict. 1. Refusal to use force. 2. The final cessation of all hostilities. 3. Free access to humanitarian aid. 4. Return of the Armed Forces of Georgia to their places of permanent deployment. 5. The withdrawal of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation to the line preceding the start of hostilities. 6. The beginning of an international discussion of the future status of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and ways to ensure their lasting security (the Medvedev-Sarkozy plan23). On August 13, after personal negotiations between N. Sarkozy and M. Saakashvili, the President of Georgia approved the proposed plan, with the exception of the sixth point. On August 16, the document was signed by Russia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The military conflict was over.
Despite the agreements, on August 26, 2008, the President of Russia signed decrees "On the recognition of the Republic of Abkhazia" and "On the recognition of the Republic of South Ossetia." Russia recognized the republics "as a sovereign and independent state", undertook to establish diplomatic relations with each of them and conclude an agreement on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance. The act was condemned by the West and did not meet with the support of the CIS countries. Relations with Ukraine. In 2008, a crisis of power arose in Ukraine. On January 18, President V. Yushchenko, Prime Minister Y. Tymoshenko (2007-2010) and Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada A. Yatsenyuk wrote a letter to the NATO Secretary General about their desire to join the NATO membership action plan at the Bucharest summit24. The members of the Verkhovna Rada accidentally became aware of the letter. Deputies of the Communist Party and the "Party of Regions" demanded to withdraw the "letter of three" and blocked the work of parliament for 2 months. The Verkhovna Rada resumed its work only when the document was adopted: the decision on Ukraine's entry into NATO "is made on the basis of the results of a referendum, which can be held on popular initiative" 25. In Ukraine, contradictions arose between the president and parliament over the events in South Ossetia.
V. Yushchenko sharply criticized Russia and supported Georgia, Y. Timoshenko and others took a balanced position, calling for a cessation of hostilities. This led to the fact that the President signed a decree on the dissolution of the Verkhovna Rada on October 8, 2008. During the presidency of D. A. Medvedev, the gas conflict with Ukraine escalated. This was caused by the presence of unsettled debt for gas supplies, as well as disagreements regarding the transit of gas through the territory of Ukraine in 2009.
RosUkrenergo supplied Russian gas to Ukraine and Western Europe. She had debts to the Russian Federation, which were demanded from Ukraine. Y. Timoshenko demanded to remove RosUkrenergo from the gas market and switch to direct contracts with the Russian Federation. But this was not profitable for V. Yushchenko, since the Ukrainian part of the company belonged to his friend, as well as to Gazprom, which owned 50% of its shares. On October 2, 2008, Yulia Tymoshenko signed a contract with V.V. Putin: to receive gas without intermediaries and agree on a price of $ 235 per 1,000 m³, subject to joint export operations from the territory of Ukraine. RosUkrEnergo then offered to buy gas for Ukraine at a price of $285. V. Yushchenko broke this agreement.
Then Russia from January 1, 2009 completely stopped gas supplies to Ukraine and the EU. There was a threat to stop the entire Ukrainian housing and communal services. The EU demanded to resolve the conflict and immediately restore gas supplies. On January 18, 2009, as a result of lengthy negotiations, Prime Ministers V. V. Putin and Y. Timoshenko agreed to resume gas transportation to Ukraine and the EU countries. The agreements included the transition to direct contractual relations between Gazprom and Naftogaz Ukrainy, the introduction of a formulaic pricing principle for Ukraine, which is typical for other European countries (the formula included the cost of fuel oil on world markets, etc.)26. Russia immediately resumed gas supplies to Europe. In February 2010, V. Yanukovych came to power in Ukraine.
Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko was put on trial for causing damage to Naftogaz Ukrainy. Ukraine's foreign policy has become directed towards European integration and Europeanization in parallel with pragmatic, friendly cooperation with Russia. But the rapprochement could take place in such a way that it did not affect the “sovereignty” of Ukraine. It was supposed to go into the future for Ukraine and Russia "in separate ways", since Ukraine is closely "in the template of the" Russian world "". On April 21, 2010, the presidents of the two countries signed the Kharkiv agreements to extend the lease of the Russian Black Sea Fleet's bases in Crimea for 25 years (after 2017), with the possibility of extending it for another 5 years (until 2042-2047).
Then Vladimir Putin announced a reduction in gas prices for Ukraine and the provision of assistance to Ukraine in the amount of $15 billion. CIS. On November 28, 2009, President of Russia D.A. Medvedev, President of Belarus A.G. Lukashenko and President of Kazakhstan N.A. Nazarbayev signed an agreement on the creation of a single customs space on the territory of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. There are changes in relations with Poland.
On April 10, 2010, the plane of President Lech Kaczynski crashed while flying to Smolensk for mourning events dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the Katyn tragedy. 96 people died - well-known Polish politicians, the high command of the Armed Forces, public and religious figures. The new president, Bronisław Komorowski, has embarked on a course of improving relations and establishing cooperation with Russia. An agreement was signed to increase the supply of Russian gas by 1.5 times through the Yamal pipeline. Arab world. In 2011-2012 the so-called "Arab spring" is taking place March 27, 2011 - a civil war in Libya, where a strong opposition to the country's leader Muammar Gadaffi has formed.
An armed confrontation began. The UN Security Council supported the opposition, adopted resolutions on the imposition of an embargo on the arms trade with Libya, on the freezing of accounts, a ban on foreign travel of M. Gadaffi and his associates, and on the introduction of a no-fly zone over Libya28. NATO immediately overstepped the UN mandate and began bombing the most important objects in Libya. Then began the military intervention against M. Gadaffi (March 19 - October 31), which was attended by Great Britain, France, USA, Canada, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Denmark. Russia initially condemned the conflict, but maintained neutrality. Events in Syria.
In 2011, against the background of the so-called "Arab Spring", a large-scale armed conflict broke out between the forces of President Bashar al-Assad and the opposition, which includes the Free Syrian Army, Kurdish regionalists and various Islamist terrorist groups (IG29, al-Nusra Front - the local branch of Al -Kaida, etc.). From the very beginning, Russia has supported the Syrian government with arms supplies, training and military advisers. From 2011 to the present, a group of Russian warships has been constantly stationed off the coast of Syria. In addition, Russia twice - in October 2011 and in February 2012 - blocked resolutions in the UN Security Council, since they made it possible to impose sanctions or even military intervention against the government of Bashar al-Assad. Russia's relations with the USA and NATO countries. On April 8, 2010 in Prague, Russia and the United States signed a new treaty on measures to further reduce and limit strategic offensive arms (START III). The parties pledged to reduce the total number of warheads by a third in seven years compared to the Moscow Treaty of 2002 and more than halve the maximum level for strategic delivery vehicles.
In general, the presidency of D. A. Medvedev is associated with a change in the current Constitution, a course towards the modernization of Russian science and the economy, reform of law enforcement agencies, the abolition of winter and summer time, overcoming the crisis of 2008-2009, the war in South Ossetia and its recognition by Russia along with Abkhazia, gas problems with Ukraine, a temporary improvement in relations with Poland, a new START III treaty with the United States.
Zaets, Svetlana Viktorovna. Russian history. XXI Century. Chronicle of the main events: teaching aid / S. V. Zayets; Yaroslavl state un-t im. P. G. Demidov. - Yaroslavl: YarSU, 2017. - 48 p.
On March 2, 2008, regular presidential elections were held in Russia, in which D. A. Medvedev won.
On August 8, 2008, Georgia launched a large-scale military operation against the breakaway republic of South Ossetia, which is home to many Russian citizens. On the same day, Russia intervened in the military events. By August 12, 2008, major hostilities had ceased, and the republic was completely protected from Georgian troops. Together with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, a peace plan was developed (the so-called “Medvedev-Sarkozy Plan”), the purpose of which was to stop hostilities, withdraw troops to positions until August 8 and guarantee security for Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Since it was not possible to raise the issue of the status of these republics for international discussion, on August 26, 2008, Russia, by decree of President D. Medvedev, recognized their independence unilaterally. This step caused a sharp negative reaction in the West and the CIS countries, but no serious sanctions against Russia followed. The war in South Ossetia was the first time since 1979 that Russian troops were sent to a foreign state.
1. The primacy of the fundamental principles of international law.
2. Rejection of the unipolar world and the construction of multipolarity.
3. Avoiding isolation and confrontation with other countries.
4. Protecting the life and dignity of Russian citizens, "wherever they are."
5. Protection of Russia's interests in "friendly regions".
On October 2, 2008, during the Petersburg Dialogue forum, a meeting was held with German Chancellor A. Merkel, at which D. Medvedev once again spoke in favor of creating a "new legally binding treaty on European security."
On October 8, 2008, Dmitry Medvedev, speaking at the World Policy Conference in Evian (France), criticized the global foreign policy pursued by the US government after "after September 11, 2001" and after "the overthrow of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan."
Domestic policy under D. Medvedev:
In September 2008, the government of D. Medvedev made a decision to reform the Russian Armed Forces. A three-year budget adjustment was planned, and a significant increase in military spending was envisaged: the growth in defense spending in 2009 was the most significant in Russia's recent history - almost 27%.
One of the "parameters" for the formation of the new Armed Forces of the Russian Federation according to the concept approved by President Dmitry Medvedev on September 15, 2008 for the period up to 2012, should be the creation of the Rapid Reaction Forces.
During the reign of Dmitry Medvedev, the financial crisis and recession of 2008-2009 fell. in Russia. On November 18, 2008, President Medvedev and the Russian press noted the arrival of the crisis in the real sector of the Russian economy. According to data released by Rosstat on January 23, 2009, in December 2008 the fall in industrial production in Russia reached 10.3% compared to December 2007. (in November - 8.7%), which was the deepest decline in production over the past decade. There was also a rapid depreciation of the Russian currency.
Estimates of the board of D. Medvedev:
Almost all national projects curated by President D. Medvedev have been criticized. He initiated amendments to the Federal Law "On the Basic Guarantees of the Rights of the Child in the Russian Federation", which prohibited minors from staying in public places at night. According to some analysts and lawyers, this provision is contrary to Art. 27 of the Constitution of Russia, which affirms the right of a Russian citizen to free movement, choice of place of stay and residence.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev became the youngest head of the Russian state (including the Soviet period) since 1917.
Medvedev also became the first head of the Russian Federation to use a new format for addressing citizens - a video blog. The first Internet video message of the President of the Russian Federation Medvedev was posted on his website on October 7, 2008 and was dedicated to the 2008 global financial crisis.
At an expanded meeting of the State Council at the end of his presidency, he rightly listed his achievements and shortcomings, and also spoke about the goals that he was going to pursue as prime minister.
In general, his style of government turned out to be much more liberal than that of Vladimir Putin. Medvedev received a prestigious legal education, defended his Ph.D. thesis in 1990, and wrote several scientific papers. As a result, in 2008, the politician gained great popularity among the students, creating the image of an intellectual and a liberal.
In turn, the West looked at Medvedev ambiguously: everyone understood the preponderance of influence in the direction of the incumbent prime minister, but Medvedev's rhetoric was more acceptable to the mentality of foreigners. But, despite the illusion of softness, the president, as the guarantor of state stability, announced the continuation of Putin's course "on stability."
Medvedev's foreign policy
The lawyer initially decided to build his foreign policy on the basis of international law. The main task for President Medvedev was the creation of new security institutions on the international platform, as well as the construction of a multipolar world. As a result, Russia did not become a pole, but joined the SCO, BRICS and the CSTO, becoming part of a force that is alternatively expanding the North Atlantic Alliance.
Undoubtedly, the main event of the period of Medvedev's rule was the military conflict in 2008 - the "five-day war" with Georgia. This marked the first integration of Russian military forces into another country since 1979. At the same time, diplomatic relations were established with Abkhazia and South Ossetia after their unilateral recognition of independence. The West reacted negatively to such actions, but did not undertake serious sanctions.
However, Medvedev's foreign policy was also full of shortcomings. Having won a hot war with Georgia, Russia lost to it in the information confrontation. In relations with the initially "pro-Russian" President Viktor Yanukovych, the Kremlin allowed conflict over gas, turning Ukraine's interest towards Europe. With regard to the East, Russia allowed itself softness and received both financial and political losses (in Iran, Libya and Syria).
In turn, during the Medvedev government, a political rapprochement with the United States was achieved. Allied relations have also been established with Cuba and Venezuela. The issue of missile defense, having become the subject of a dialogue, took on a softer tone. As a result, the speed of missile defense deployment in Eastern Europe has slowed down, which can be regarded as an undoubted achievement.
Russia's domestic policy
Repeatedly, President Medvedev spoke about the importance of culture for Russia with its special "mysterious Russian soul", famous in the West. During his reign, the Bolshoi Theater was restored, as well as the “Culture of Russia” program widely advertised by Putin. As part of the project, it was planned to build more than 2 million cultural and educational facilities, as well as restore historical sites throughout the country.
Education in Russia for 4 years has replenished with 9 federal universities and 29 NRUs, but over the past 1.5 years has lost 40 universities, which fell under the merger and reorganization.
The President repeatedly advocated de-Stalinization and de-Sovietization. Many public figures and Western media supported him.
Concerning really important reforms, Dmitry Anatolyevich achieved, unfortunately, not very many results. Despite the majority of United Russia loyal to Medvedev in the legislative and executive branches, the reform of the Ministry of Internal Affairs took a large-scale form, but even it was far from successful. Corruption eventually made its way even to the Prosecutor General's Office.
The economy has survived two crises
Medvedev's presidency went through two whole world economic crises (2008 and the end of 2011). During this time, Russia's external debt increased by 14%. But compared to Europe, Japan and the US, where debts have reached 90%, 226% and more than 100% of GDP, respectively, Russia boasts a loan size of only about 10% of GDP, 2% of which is external debt.
Under Medvedev, Russia's GDP has stepped over its pre-crisis level. Despite the critical situation in the US and Europe, the Russian Federation suffered the least losses during the crises due to high oil prices, the Stabilization Fund and the “stability course”.
An important step was the introduction of the Unified Social Tax (UST), which made it possible to raise rates to the level of 34% of the wage fund. But entrepreneurs took the event extremely negatively.
The Ministries of Communications, Defense and Agriculture, according to experts, acted inefficiently during this period. The Russian industry also experienced serious problems: industrial production in 2009 decreased by 9.3%, it was not possible to remove the dependence of the Russian Federation on the export of hydrocarbons. energy complex.
At the end of 2008, Medvedev announced that the government would provide a subordinated loan to banks in the amount of up to 950 billion rubles and for a period of more than 5 years. This caused a temporary rise in the stock market, prevented panic among the population and seriously strengthened the financial system.
Social sphere under President Medvedev
As far as the social sphere is concerned, Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev has largely achieved success.
In May 2008, the president signed a decree designed to make life easier for entrepreneurs: some restrictions were to be lifted from businesses, the procedure for starting a business was simplified, and the number of permits for its implementation was reduced.
The main achievement was the growth and stabilization of the population of the Russian Federation. In 2008-2011, Russia reached one of the highest levels of several decades. Families giving birth to a second child increased by 45%, the third - by 62%. The population of Russia in 2011 exceeded 143 million people.
Real incomes of citizens under Medvedev rose in 2008 by by 2.4% in 2009 by 3.1% in 2010 - 5.1%, and in 2011 they rose by only 1%. The average wage in the economy rose in 4 years by 18% in real terms and by 75% in nominal terms. State salaries during this period also grew (only the standard of living did not improve significantly, and the quality of services did not change much either).
The average labor pension for Russians has increased by 2.5 times since 2008. Since the beginning of 2012, military pensioners have received a 1.6-fold increase in payments.
The state program of direct support allowed about 1.5 million citizens to receive housing. More than 1 million families have improved their living conditions using the funds allocated to them from maternity capital.
Among the minuses, one can single out an increase in unemployment (4.6% in 2011), insufficient investment in the real sector of the domestic economy, the problem of a shortage of medicines and an increase in corruption in education (through the Unified State Examination).
