Dmitry Medvedev

Background

Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev is a Russian politician and lawyer who serves as deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia. In that role, he is part of the senior state body that supports the president on national security matters and broader issues of state policy. His position places him among the most prominent figures in the Russian governing system and keeps him closely connected to decisions affecting security, domestic order, and the coordination of top-level state institutions.

Born on 14 September 1965, Medvedev built his career through senior government service before reaching his current post. He was elected president of Russia in 2008 and served in that office until 2012, after which Vladimir Putin appointed him prime minister. Medvedev then served as prime minister from 2012 to 2020, resigning with the rest of the government on 15 January 2020 and being succeeded by Mikhail Mishustin the following day. Putin appointed him deputy chairman of the Security Council on the same day, extending his role within the country’s highest political structures.

Medvedev’s presidency was associated with a modernization agenda intended to update Russia’s economy and society and reduce reliance on oil and gas. During that period, Russia and the United States signed the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty, and his presidency also included the Russo-Georgian War and the recovery from the global financial crisis. He also launched an anti-corruption campaign, later amid accusations of corruption directed at him, and analysts often described his presidency as having raised expectations for a more liberal period in Russian politics. In later years, particularly since the period before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he has taken increasingly hawkish and anti-Western positions and remains widely viewed as an important figure in Russian public life.