He was elected President of the Russian Federation on March 2, 2008. The main program objectives set by the new president were the following: increasing the level and quality of life of the population, continuing work on priority national projects; the principle “freedom is better than unfreedom”; “... the main thing for our country is the continuation of calm and stable development”; following the ideas of Concept 2000 - development of institutions, infrastructure, innovation, investment, 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 damaged the Russian economy. A significant outflow of capital abroad and the “flight of investors from the country” began. A specific factor in the development of the crisis was the presence of significant external debt of Russian companies.
The result is increased inflation, a fall in the level of income of the population, unemployment due to “optimization of production” - the massive 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 (RF Law 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, Article 81), the composition of the State Duma is elected for a term of 5 years (instead of 4, Article 96). The names of several subjects of the Federation have changed.
The Yabloko and Communist Party of the Russian Federation sharply opposed the amendments, 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 creators’ plans, the modern scientific and technological innovation complex under construction in Moscow for the development and commercialization of new technologies was to occupy an entire microdistrict and become the largest scientific research and development center (“Russian Silicon Valley”). The center's scientific staff was approximately 50 thousand people.
Telecommunications and space, biomedical technologies, energy efficiency, information technologies, nuclear technologies were identified as priority areas of Skolkova research. Finnish companies Nokia Solutions and Networks, German Siemens and SAP, Italian universities, the Tokyo private Waseda Tipa University, etc. were involved as partners. However, Skolkov has many critics who note outdated schemes for innovative technologies, exorbitant administrative costs, and financial irregularities during construction, lack of real support and initial subsidies.
The next notable event during the presidency of D. A. Medvedev was the law “On the Police,” which came into force on March 1, 2011. The police were supposed to replace the existing police. The decree was intended to increase 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 changed to winter time18. D. A. Medvedev continued the fight against oligarchic capital.
One of the high-profile cases that became known throughout the country was the removal of Yu. M. Luzhkov from the post of mayor of Moscow (since 1992). On September 28, 2010, the president signed a decree “To remove... from the post of mayor of Moscow due to the loss of confidence of the President of the Russian Federation.” 19. The president paid much 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 a unipolar world and construction of a 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 regions friendly to it” 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, a military conflict took place in South Ossetia, in which Russia was directly involved.
South Ossetia is a former territory of the Georgian SSR, which in 1992 separated into an independent unrecognized state. The republic had its own government, constitution, and armed forces. Since 1989, bloody ethnic clashes have repeatedly occurred on its territory.
The Georgian government considered South Ossetia its territory, but did not take active steps to restore control until 2008. Russia initially supported the government of South Ossetia and its desire for complete independence from Georgia. With M. Saakashvili coming to power, Georgian national policy became tougher. On the night of August 7-8, Georgian troops began 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 peacekeeping troops were killed and several dozen were wounded.
The official reason for the attack on Tskhinvali, according to the Georgian side, was a 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, declared a state of war with Georgia. Russian Foreign Minister S.V. Lavrov said that the reasons for the deployment of Russian troops were Georgia’s aggression against the territories of South Ossetia not under its control 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 directly into Georgian territory and occupied a number of important cities. On August 12, the Chairman of the European Union, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, was in Moscow on a working visit. 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 Georgian Armed Forces to their places of permanent deployment. 5. 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 (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 Russian President signed decrees “On recognition of the Republic of Abkhazia” and “On recognition of the Republic of South Ossetia.” Russia recognized the republics “as a sovereign and independent state”, pledged to establish diplomatic relations with each of them and conclude an agreement on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance. The act drew condemnation from the West and did not meet with the support of the CIS countries. Relations with Ukraine. In 2008, a power crisis arose in Ukraine. On January 18, President V. Yushchenko, Prime Minister Yu. 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 action plan regarding NATO membership at the summit in Bucharest24. Members of the Verkhovna Rada accidentally became aware of the letter. Deputies of the Communist Party and the Party of Regions demanded that the “letter of three” be withdrawn and blocked the work of parliament for 2 months. The Verkhovna Rada resumed work only when a document was adopted: the decision on Ukraine’s accession to NATO “is taken based on the results of a referendum, which can be held on a 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 president signing a decree dissolving 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.
The RosUkrenergo company supplied Russian gas to Ukraine and Western Europe. She had debts to the Russian Federation, which were demanded from Ukraine. Yu. Tymoshenko demanded that RosUkrenergo be removed from the gas market and switch to direct contracts with the Russian Federation. But this was unprofitable for V. Yushchenko, since the Ukrainian part of the company belonged to his friend, as well as Gazprom U, which owned 50% of its shares. On October 2, 2008, Yu. Tymoshenko signed a contract with V.V. Putin: to receive gas without intermediaries and agree on a price of $ 235 per 1000 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 tore up this agreement.
Then, on January 1, 2009, Russia 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 that the conflict be resolved and gas supplies immediately restored. On January 18, 2009, as a result of lengthy negotiations, Prime Ministers V.V. Putin and Yu. Timoshenko agreed to resume gas transportation to Ukraine and EU countries. The agreements included a transition to direct contractual relations between Gazprom and Naftogaz of Ukraine, the introduction of a formulaic principle of pricing for Ukraine, characteristic of 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 Yuri Tymoshenko was put on trial for causing damage to the Naftogaz of Ukraine company. Ukraine's foreign policy has become aimed at European integration and Europeanization in parallel with pragmatic, friendly cooperation with Russia. But the rapprochement could take place in such a way that it would not affect the “sovereignty” of Ukraine. Ukraine and Russia were supposed to go to the future on “separate paths,” since Ukraine was closely “in the mold of the “Russian world.” On April 21, 2010, the presidents of the two countries signed the Kharkov agreements to extend the lease period of the Russian Black Sea Fleet bases in Crimea for 25 years (after 2017), with the possibility of extending it for another 5 years (until 2042-2047).
Then V.V. Putin announced a reduction in gas prices for Ukraine and provision of assistance to Ukraine in the amount of $15 billion. CIS. On November 28, 2009, Russian President 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. Changes are taking place in relations with Poland.
On April 10, 2010, the plane of President Lech Kaczynski, who was flying to Smolensk for mourning events dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the Katyn tragedy, crashed. 96 people died - well-known Polish politicians, the highest command of the Armed Forces, public and religious figures. The new president, Bronislaw Komorowski, has set a course for improving relations and establishing cooperation with Russia. An agreement was signed to increase Russian gas supplies by 1.5 times through the Yamal pipeline. Arab world. In 2011-2012 the so-called “Arab Spring” occurs on March 27, 2011 - civil war in Libya, where a strong opposition has formed to the country’s leader Muammar Gadaffi.
An armed confrontation began. The UN Security Council supported the opposition and adopted resolutions on imposing an embargo on the arms trade with Libya, freezing accounts, banning foreign travel by M. Gadaffi and his associates, as well as introducing a no-fly zone over Libya28. NATO immediately exceeded the UN mandate and began bombing the most important targets in Libya. Then a military intervention began against M. Gadaffi (March 19 - October 31), in which Great Britain, France, the USA, Canada, Belgium, Italy, Spain, and Denmark participated. Russia initially condemned the conflict but maintained neutrality. Events in Syria.
In 2011, against the backdrop of the so-called “Arab Spring,” a large-scale armed conflict arose between the forces of President Bashar al-Assad and the opposition, which included the Free Syrian Army, Kurdish regionalists and various Islamist terrorist groups (IS29, al-Nusra Front - the local branch of Al -Qaeda, etc.). From the very beginning, Russia supported the Syrian government, helping with arms supplies, training and military advisers. From 2011 to the present, a group of Russian warships has been constantly located off the coast of Syria. In addition, Russia twice - in October 2011 and in February 2012 - blocked resolutions in the UN Security Council because they opened the possibility of 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 weapons (START III). The parties pledged to reduce the total number of warheads by a third over 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 changes to the current Constitution, a course towards the modernization of Russian science and economics, 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 main events: educational and methodological manual / S. V. Zaets; Yarosl. state University named after P. G. Demidova. - Yaroslavl: YarSU, 2017. - 48 p.
First Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation since June 2005.
President of the Russian Federation from May 7, 2008 to 2012.
Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation since May 8, 2012.
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev born September 14, 1965 in the city of Leningrad (now St. Petersburg).
Father Dmitry Medvedev, Anatoly Afanasyevich, a descendant of peasants of the Kursk province, was a professor at the Leningrad Technological Institute named after Lensovet.
Mother Dmitry Medvedev, Yulia Veniaminovna, philologist, taught at the Herzen Pedagogical Institute, worked as a guide in the museum. Her roots are from the Belgorod region.
Dmitry is the only child in the family. The Medvedev family lived in the Kupchino district on the outskirts of Leningrad. Dmitry devoted all his time to his studies and studied well.
In 1982 YES. Medvedev entered the Faculty of Law of Leningrad State University. Before entering, he began working as a laboratory assistant at LETI.
Since his youth he has been fond of hard rock, among his favorite bands Dmitry Medvedev mentions Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin; he collected a complete collection of Deep Purple records. During his student years, he became interested in photography, was involved in weightlifting, and won a weightlifting competition in his weight category at the university.
D. Medvedev did not serve in the army, but, as a student at Leningrad State University, he completed 1.5 months of military training in Huhoyamäki in Karelia.
In 1987 Dmitry Medvedev received a diploma from Leningrad State University and entered graduate school.
In 1987 – 1990 simultaneously with graduate studies Dmitry Medvedev worked as an assistant at the Department of Civil Law of Leningrad State University.
In the spring of 1989, he took an active part in A. Sobchak’s election program for the elections to the Congress of People’s Deputies.
And in the same year Medvedev married former classmate Svetlana Linnik.
In 1990 D. Medvedev became a candidate of science, defended his dissertation on the topic “Problems of implementing the civil legal personality of a state enterprise.”
In 1990 – 1991, Medvedev was part of the group of assistants to the Chairman of the Leningrad City Council A. Sobchak. In the same years, Dmitry Medvedev met Vladimir Putin. Soon D. Medvedev was appointed as an expert of the Committee on External Relations of the St. Petersburg City Hall. Afterwards, he completed an internship in Sweden on local government issues.
In 1990 - 1999, Dmitry Medvedev taught at Leningrad (later St. Petersburg) State University such disciplines as private law, civil and Roman law. Received the academic knowledge of associate professor.
In 1996, a son, Ilya, was born into the family of Dmitry Medvedev and Svetlana Medvedeva.
During this period and in subsequent years D.A. Medvedev was the founder and director of various enterprises, including joint ventures.
November 1999 – January 2000 served as Deputy Head of the Government Office of the Russian Federation (Head of the Office - D. Kozak).
On December 31, 1999, by decree of the acting President of the Russian Federation V. Putin was appointed Deputy Head of the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation (Head of the Administration - A. Voloshin).
In February 2000 YES. Medvedev headed the election headquarters of V. Putin.
After the election of Vladimir Putin as President of the Russian Federation on June 3, 2000, Dmitry Medvedev was appointed First Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration.
June 30, 2000 D. Medvedev replaced V. Chernomyrdin as Chairman of the Board of Directors of OJSC Gazprom.
In April 2001, at the direction of President Vladimir Putin, a working group was created to liberalize the Gazprom share market, and Medvedev became the head of the group. A month later, he ceded the post of Chairman of the Board of Directors of Gazprom to R. Vyakhirev, but in June 2002 he returned to this position.
In 2001 YES. Medvedev became a laureate of the Russian Government Prize in the field of education for his participation in the creation of a textbook on civil law.
In October 2002 YES. Medvedev appointed as the President's representative on the National Banking Council.
In October 2003, Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev became the head of the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation instead of A. Voloshin, who resigned.
In November 2003, D. Medvedev was appointed as a member of the Security Council of the Russian Federation.
In June 2004, D. Medvedev was re-elected as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Gazprom.
In June 2005, D. Medvedev was relieved of his post as head of the Presidential Administration and appointed First Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation.
On November 29, 2005, the first meeting of the Council on the implementation of 4 priority national projects was held. Prior to this, V. Putin instructed Medvedev to develop a specific plan for implementing national projects.
In May 2006 Medvedev headed the commission for the development of television and radio broadcasting.
Since September 2006, D. Medvedev became the Head of the International Board of Trustees of the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO.
In January 2007, D. Medvedev was elected chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Russian Bar Association.
On December 10, 2007, four parties (Civil Force, United Russia, A Just Russia, Agrarian Party), with the approval of V. Putin, nominated D. Medvedev for the post of President of the Russian Federation.
On March 2, 2008, the elections of the President of the Russian Federation took place, at which Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev won.
On May 7, 2008, Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev was inaugurated. He officially took office as President of the Russian Federation.
Foreign policy under D. Medvedev
On August 8, 2008, Georgia launched a large-scale military operation against the 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 military operations had ceased, and the republic was completely protected from Georgian troops. Together with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, a peace settlement plan was developed (the so-called “Medvedev-Sarkozy Plan”), the goal of which was to end hostilities, withdraw troops to positions before August 8 and guarantee security for Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Since it was not possible to bring the issue of the status of these republics to international discussion, on August 26, 2008, Russia, by decree of President D. Medvedev, unilaterally recognized their independence.
This step caused a sharp negative reaction in the West and CIS countries, but no serious sanctions followed against Russia.
The war in South Ossetia was the first time since 1979 that Russia sent troops into a foreign state.
The primacy of the fundamental principles of international law;
Rejection of a unipolar world and construction of a multipolarity;
Avoiding isolation and confrontation with other countries;
Protecting the life and dignity of Russian citizens, “no matter where they are”;
Protecting Russia's interests in “friendly regions.”
On October 2, 2008, during the St. Petersburg Dialogue forum, a meeting was held with German Chancellor A. Merkel, at which D. Medvedev again spoke in favor of creating a “new legally binding treaty on European security.”
On October 8, 2008, Dmitry Medvedev, speaking at the Conference on World Politics 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.”
After the election of Vladimir Putin as President of Russia in 2012, Dmitry Medvedev has been serving as Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation since May 8, 2012.
Domestic policy under D. Medvedev
In September 2008, the government of D. Medvedev decided to reform the Russian Armed Forces. An adjustment to the three-year budget was planned, and a significant increase in military spending was envisaged: the increase in financing of defense spending in 2009 was the most significant in the modern history of Russia - 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 until 2012, was the creation of the Rapid Reaction Forces.
During the reign of Dmitry Medvedev, the financial crisis and recession of 2008 - 2009 occurred. in Russia. On November 18, 2008, President D. Medvedev and the Russian press noted the arrival of a 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 production over the past decade. There was also a rapid depreciation of the Russian currency.
Domestic policy. The start of his presidency coincided with the onset of the 2008 global financial crisis. This crisis originated during the mortgage crisis in the United States in 2007, and then, against the backdrop of unbalanced global trade between private enterprises and international corporations, developed into a global economic crisis. In May 2008, when Medvedev had just become the leader of the country, the Russian stock market there was a collapse in prices. The first decisive anti-crisis measures were taken in budget and credit policy in August-October of the same year. The constitutional reform has changed the procedure for electing candidates for president (now for 6 years, not 4), the Federation Council and the State Duma, and the procedure for registering political parties has been simplified. Anti-corruption reform in all executive and legislative bodies, which contributed to the separation of powers from large entrepreneurs. Law enforcement reform in 2010 changed the way law enforcement officers are evaluated, and their salaries were increased. In 2009, the counter-terrorist operation in Chechnya was finally curtailed, although outbreaks of terrorist attacks still occurred periodically.
Flaws: increase in unemployment to four percent; insufficient attention to the pharmaceutical industry; insufficient attention to the new education reform (the creation of the Unified State Exam) and the failure to include this area in the anti-corruption reform; a controversial decision to change standard time in some regions and cancel the transfer of clocks from winter to summer time and vice versa.
Medvedev's foreign policy was built on the principles laid down in Putin’s Munich speech. In international relations, Dmitry Medvedev identified the following five areas: Recognition of international law as fundamental. The result of this direction was the signing of many international treaties, as well as support for the activities of such world organizations as the UN Security Council and the OSCE. A departure from a “monopolar” world order to a “multipolar” one. Within the framework of this principle, on June 16, 2009, a full meeting of the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) took place.
Ensuring the protection of the interests of all citizens of the Russian Federation staying abroad, as well as citizens of other states, Russians by nationality. The most striking manifestation of this principle was the conflict with Georgia in 2008, as well as the return of Crimea to Russia. In practice, all these theses began to be implemented a month after Medvedev’s inauguration. For example, on June 17, 2008, the Law on a visa-free regime for citizens of the former USSR when crossing the Russian-Estonian and Russian-Latvian borders was signed. On May 7, 2008, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin again became the President of the Russian Federation, and Dmitry Medvedev again became its Prime Minister. Despite the fact that personnel changes have not undergone any significant changes, from this moment a new stage of historical development begins in Russia (the return of Crimea, the conflict with Ukraine, the war in Donbass, Western sanctions).
49.Culture in modern Russia. Integration of the country and the world cultural space.
The culture of modern Russia, organically connected with previous periods of the country's history, found itself in a completely new political and economic situation, which radically changed many things, first of all, the relationship between culture and power. The state has stopped dictating its demands to culture. The first place in culture began to be occupied by the media, called the “fourth estate.” Since the late 1990s. The state of affairs in science began to change for the better. The modernization of the material and technical base of research began, and state allocations for the needs of all branches of science increased. At the beginning of the new century, the Nobel Prize laureates in physics were Zh. S. Alferov (2000 - for fundamental research in the field of information and communication technologies), A. A. Abrikosov and V. L. Ginzburg (2003 - for work in field of quantum physics). In 1997, on the initiative of the outstanding Russian scientist D.S. Likhachev, the “Culture” TV channel was created. Attention to the culture and traditions of various religious faiths has increased. The variety of trends and genres in literature has expanded. B. P. Astafiev, V. I. Belov, V. G. Rasputin, Ch. T. Aitmatov, Yu. M. Polyakov and others remained the successors of the realistic traditions. The works of A. I. Solzhenitsyn were published in mass editions; in 1994 returned to Russia. Modern avant-garde movements have become widespread in theatrical art and music. At the turn of the century, cinema was developing dynamically. The films “Burnt by the Sun” and “The Barber of Siberia” (directed by N. S. Mikhalkov), “Brother” and “Brother 2” (starring S. Bodrov Jr.) enjoy success among viewers. In artistic creativity, the works of sculptors Z. K. Tsereteli and O. K. Komov became widely known. The artistic creativity of representatives of new trends in art is characterized by features: a mixture of artistic styles, the desire to think in symbols, and the use of elements of mysticism. In the field of culture, the state pays more attention to the education system. In 1992, the Law “On Education” was adopted, which marked the beginning of the reform of Russian secondary and higher schools. The law declared the rejection of command and administrative control of the public education system, the priority of humanistic principles in training and education. Secondary and higher educational institutions were granted a certain academic freedom. Development of the musical. In 1999 The musical METRO was staged, which became a notable event in the musical life of Moscow. Development of music. Since the mid-90s. many of them, without breaking off intensive creative contacts with foreign theaters and orchestras, headed leading Russian creative groups. There has been a major renewal of the repertoire of the country's largest opera and ballet theaters, which have staged new productions of musical classics. 20th century. The repertoire of leading Russian orchestras expanded.
Introduction
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev was elected to the post of President of the Russian Federation on March 2, 2008.
1. Election and assumption of office
On December 10, 2007, he was nominated as a candidate for President of the Russian Federation from the United Russia party. On the same day, Medvedev’s candidacy was supported by the parties “A Just Russia”, the Agrarian Party of Russia and the “Civic Force” party. This decision was made at a meeting in the Kremlin of President Vladimir Putin, Medvedev himself, as well as Chairman of the State Duma Boris Gryzlov, Chairman of the Federation Council Sergei Mironov and the heads of the Agrarian Party Vladimir Plotnikov and the Civil Power party Mikhail Barshchevsky. V.V. Putin approved Medvedev’s candidacy, his official nomination as a candidate took place on December 17, 2007.
On December 20, 2007, while submitting documents to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, he announced that he would leave the post of Chairman of the Board of Directors of OJSC Gazprom if he was elected President of Russia, in accordance with the law.
The election headquarters of Dmitry Medvedev was headed by the head of the Presidential Administration, Sergei Sobyanin, who went on vacation while working there. The main themes and slogans of the campaign were:
improving the level and quality of life of the population, continuing work on priority national projects;
laying the principle “freedom is better than lack of freedom” as the basis for state policy... (speech at the V Krasnoyarsk Economic Forum “Russia 2008-2020. Managing Growth” on February 15, 2008);
“...the main thing for our country is the continuation of calm and stable development. What is needed is simply decades of stable development. What our country was deprived of in the twentieth century was decades of normal life and purposeful work” (speech at the II All-Russian Civil Forum on January 22, 2008);
following the ideas of Concept 2020 - development of institutions, infrastructure, innovation, investment, as well as 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, the widespread defense of Russian interests.
On March 2, 2008, he was elected to the post of President of the Russian Federation. While remaining a member of the Government, he was the elected President of the Russian Federation until he officially took office as President of the Russian Federation.
On March 3, 2008, President Vladimir Putin signed Decree No. 295 “On the status of the newly elected and not yet inaugurated President of the Russian Federation.” In accordance with the Constitution, Medvedev assumed the office of President of the Russian Federation 2 months after the official summing up of the 2008 election results and 4 years after Vladimir Putin officially took office in 2004 - May 7, 2008 (at 12:09 am Moscow time).
In honor of this event, on the same day a number of philatelic materials went on sale under the general name “On March 2, 2008, D. A. Medvedev was elected President of the Russian Federation”, published by the publishing and trading center "Marka".
In his inaugural speech, he stated that he considered the priority task in the new position to be “ further development of civil and economic freedoms, creation of new civic opportunities". He confirmed this course by signing his first decrees, which directly relate to the social sphere. In particular, the first document was a federal law providing for the provision of housing at the expense of the federal budget to all veterans of the Great Patriotic War in need of improved housing conditions until May 2010. The next decree “On measures for the development of housing construction”, as part of the modernization of the relevant infrastructure, provides for the creation of a Federal Fund for Assistance to the Development of Housing Construction. Its main goal will be to promote the development of predominantly individual residential construction: it is seen as a transitional link in the process of forming an affordable housing market and the future use of federally owned land plots as areas for subsequent development of private property. In addition, in order to promote the systemic modernization of higher professional education based on the integration of science, education and production, training of qualified personnel to meet the long-term needs of the innovative economy, the Decree “On Federal Universities” plans to continue the formation of a network of federal universities that provide a high level of educational process, research and technological developments. As part of the decree, the President instructed the Government to consider the issue of creating the Far Eastern Federal University, along with the already established Siberian and Southern Federal Universities.
According to a VTsIOM poll conducted shortly after Medvedev’s inauguration, 86% of Russians knew that he was already President; 10% considered V.V. Putin to be the President; 1% of respondents considered Medvedev the Chairman of the Government.
2. Military conflict with Georgia
On the night of 7–8 August 2008, Georgian troops began intensive artillery bombardment of the South Ossetian capital Tskhinvali and surrounding areas; a few hours later the city was stormed by Georgian armored vehicles and infantry. As a result of the attack, more than ten Russian peacekeeping troops were killed and several dozen were wounded. The official reason for the attack on Tskhinvali, according to the Georgian side, was a violation of the ceasefire by South Ossetia, which, in turn, claims that Georgia was the first to open fire. According to a number of reports in several Russian newspapers, as well as Georgian intelligence statements released a month later, in September 2008, separate units of the Russian 58th Army were deployed to South Ossetia starting in the early morning of August 7, 2008. However, according to Russian data, as well as reports from a number of Western media and politicians, the Georgian side’s claims about the early transfer of Russian troops are false. In the evening of the same day, the Georgian and South Ossetian sides of the conflict accused each other of violating the terms of the truce. On the morning of August 8, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, in a televised address, announced the “liberation” of the Tsinagar and Znauri districts, the villages of Dmenisi, Gromi and Khetagurovo, as well as most of Tskhinvali, by Georgian security forces ; he accused Russia of bombing Georgian territory, calling it “classic international aggression”; General mobilization was announced in Georgia. On the same day, South Ossetian President Eduard Kokoity reported numerous casualties among civilians in South Ossetia and accused Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili of genocide of the Ossetian people.
Medvedev later noted:
On August 9, President D. Medvedev began a meeting with Defense Minister A. Serdyukov and Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces N. Makarov with the words: “Our peacekeepers and the units assigned to them are currently carrying out an operation to force the Georgian side to peace.” No information about the official document (decree or order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief) on the basis of which the 58th Army and other units began operating was made public; There was also no mention of such a document in the statements of officials. According to the statement of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Colonel General A. Nogovitsyn dated August 9, 2008, Russia was not at that moment in a state of war with Georgia: “All units of the 58th Army that arrived in Tskhinvali were sent here to provide assistance to the Russian peacekeeping battalion, which suffered heavy losses as a result of shelling of its positions by units of the Georgian army.”
On August 12, Medvedev announced that he had decided to complete the operation “forcing the Georgian authorities to peace”. On the same day, at a joint press conference with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, following Vladimir Putin, he called the actions of the Georgian army in the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict zone “genocide” and “ethnic cleansing” and spoke insultingly about the leadership of Georgia.
Russia's military actions on the territory of a neighboring state caused a negative assessment and criticism from most Western states. A possible violation of Russian legislation when using the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation outside the country (Article 102 of the Russian Constitution, etc.) allowed former assistant to the President of the Russian Federation Georgy Satarov to suggest at the end of August:
During the Russian-Georgian armed conflict, Dmitry Medvedev met twice in an official setting with the president of unrecognized Abkhazia and once with the president of unrecognized South Ossetia. On June 26, Medvedev received the President of the Republic of Abkhazia Sergei Bagapsh in the Kremlin, and on August 14 (at the end of active hostilities in Georgia) he met in the Kremlin with the President of the Republic of Abkhazia Sergei Bagapsh and the President of the Republic of South Ossetia Eduard Kokoity. During the meeting, Kokoity and Bagapsh signed six principles for resolving the Georgian-South Ossetian and Georgian-Abkhaz conflicts, previously developed by Medvedev and Sarkozy; The presidents of the unrecognized republics were informed that Russia would support any decision on the status of South Ossetia and Abkhazia that the peoples of these republics would make.
As it turned out in October 2008, based on an analysis of satellite images of the outskirts of Tskhinvali, additional destruction of civilian objects occurred in the period from August 10 to 19, 2008, that is, after the occupation of the city by Russian troops: hundreds of houses were burned in ethnically Georgian villages in South Ossetia.
2.1. Analysis of the internal political situation due to the conflict
The comparison between the behavior of Medvedev and Putin during the conflict in Georgia led Western observers to wonder “who is in charge in the Kremlin” and came to the answer: “The current conflict has confirmed what has become increasingly clear in recent weeks: Putin continues to be in charge.” Financial Times commentator Philip Stevens, in the issue dated August 29, 2008, called Medvedev “the nominal president of Russia” ( Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s national president) . The Russian Newsweek magazine dated September 1, 2008 and the Vlast magazine dated the same date came to the same conclusion. The latter also noted:
“Another noticeable consequence of the Georgian conflict can be considered the final collapse of hopes for liberalization of the internal political course that appeared among a certain part of Russian society after the election of Dmitry Medvedev as president.”
Commentators in the Russian magazine The New Times on September 1, 2008 expressed a similar assessment of the situation in the country: “Inside the country, it seems that the choice between reforms and mobilization has been made in favor of the latter. Of course, members of the ruling duumvirate believe that some third way is possible, a kind of “mobilization modernization” in conditions of “easy” isolation from key states and institutions of the Western world. And - in the absence of institutions within the country. Of course, this is an illusion."
It is noteworthy that when analyzing the political and economic situation in the country after the conflict with Georgia, Anders Aslund in his article dated September 3 never mentions D. Medvedev and speaks of V. Putin as the only leader of Russia: “August 8 stands out as a fatal day for Russia. It marks Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's greatest mistake. Putin is turning Russia into a bandit state. » Economist Judy Shelton, author of the 1989 book “The Coming Collapse of the USSR” ( The Coming Soviet Crash), in the article "The Market Will Punish Putinism", published in the Wall Street Journal on September 3, 2008: To Putin “One thing to learn is that sometimes the invisible hand of the market strikes back.” The French magazine Le Point on August 31, 2008 wrote that “in the Kremlin, as well as in the presidential office, Vladimir Putin is still called “chief”. And during the Georgian crisis, it was the Prime Minister, and not Dmitry Medvedev, who “settled” the situation.” Ekho Moskvy columnist Evgenia Albats said in September of the same year that, “ Although Medvedev receives press attention, he appears to be Putin's press secretary.» Former Deputy Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation (1996-1997) B. A. Berezovsky said in November 2008: “There is no tandem, there is a buffoon and a dictator, who was in power and remains the same. What is happening now is a great fraud."
Political scientist Liliya Shevtsova wrote in the Vedomosti newspaper on September 17: “The war between Russia and Georgia in 2008 was the final chord in the formation of the anti-Western vector of the state and at the same time the finishing touch in the consolidation of the new system. In the 90s, this system existed as a hybrid, which combined incompatible things - democracy and autocracy, economic reforms and state expansion, partnership with the West and suspicion towards it. From now on, the Russian system becomes unambiguous, and there is no longer any doubt about its qualities and its trajectory. The August events confirmed one simple truth: foreign policy in Russia has become an instrument for implementing the domestic political agenda. The August War makes it pointless to discuss the question of who rules Russia and what are the relations within the ruling Medvedev-Putin tandem. Medvedev put on Putin’s jacket and became military president, and it was he who had to close the era in the country’s development begun by Mikhail Gorbachev.”
The Financial Times of September 20, 2008 noted what it believed were changes in the social contract between the Russian propertied class and the power group: “Putinism was based on the understanding that if the bigwigs played by the Kremlin’s rules, they would prosper. Recent military adventurism has undermined this great bargain. The oligarchs suffered a major blow as a result of the market collapse; The relief package came only after concerned business elites complained to the Kremlin. After the recent shake-up, the loyalty of the oligarchs is no longer taken for granted.”
President Medvedev’s speech on September 19, 2008 in the Kremlin “at a meeting with representatives of public organizations,” according to political scientist V. Nikonov, “was addressed to groups of elites within the country” who were concerned about the prospect of militarization of public consciousness. The President, in particular, said: “No new external circumstances - much less external pressure on Russia - will change our strategic line to build a free, progressive and democratic state and society. All tasks related to economic development, expansion of entrepreneurial, creative and personal freedom will be resolved urgently, without reference to the fact that the country is in a special situation, “there are enemies around.”
According to a FOM survey conducted on August 23-24, 2008, in the opinion of 80% of Russians surveyed in various regions of the country, “modern Russia can be called a great power”; 69% believed that Russian foreign policy was “very effective”; The vast majority of survey participants - 82% - said that "Russia should strive to become the most influential country in the world." Analyzing the FOM survey data, the FT wrote on September 23, 2008: “Russian society, which overwhelmingly supported the war, has become a bastion of tough politics. Polls suggest that this could prevent the few politicians who are trying to restore ties with the West from supporting economic and political integration with the West in the interests of Western countries.”
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Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev is one of the most prominent political figures in the Russian government, the third president of Russia. The politician has established himself as a statist modernizer whose goal is to improve Russian civil society.
Childhood and youth
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev was born on September 14, 1965 in a residential area of Leningrad. Parents Anatoly Afanasyevich and Yulia Veniaminovna worked as teachers at pedagogical and technological universities. Dima was the only child in the family. Already as a child, he was distinguished by his thoughtful, calm character.
Dmitry Medvedev in his youthIn 1982, after graduating from school No. 305, Dmitry Medvedev entered Leningrad State University at the Faculty of Law, where he proved himself to be a successful student with pronounced leadership qualities. During his student years, the future chairman of the Russian government became interested in rock music, photography and weightlifting. In 1990, he defended his dissertation and became a candidate of legal sciences.
The politician says that in his youth he worked as a janitor, for which he was paid 120 rubles with an increased 50-ruble stipend.
Career and politics
Since 1988, Dmitry Medvedev has been teaching at Leningrad State University, teaching students civil and Roman law. Along with teaching, he showed himself as a scientist and was one of the authors of the 3-volume textbook “Civil Law”, for which he wrote 4 chapters.
Medvedev's political career began in 1990. At that time, he became the "favorite" adviser to the first mayor of St. Petersburg. A year later, the man became a member of the St. Petersburg City Hall Committee for External Relations, where he worked as an expert under the leadership.
During the 90s, the future Prime Minister of the Russian Federation also showed himself in the business sphere. In 1993, he became a co-founder of Frinzel OJSC, he owns 50% of the company's shares. At the same time, Dmitry Medvedev became director of legal issues at the timber corporation Ilim Pulp Enterprise. In 1994, he joined the management team of OJSC Bratsk Timber Industry Complex.
The biography of Dmitry Anatolyevich finally went in a political direction in 1999. Then he became Vladimir Putin’s deputy in the mayor’s office of St. Petersburg, who at that time headed the apparatus of the Russian government.
In 2000, by decree of the new President of the Russian Federation, Medvedev was appointed to the post of first deputy head of the presidential administration. In 2003, after the resignation of the former Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, the politician headed the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation.
As soon as Dmitry Anatolyevich began to appear frequently in newspapers and on television, journalists noted his extraordinary resemblance to. Some sources began to publish theories about reincarnation or a secret conspiracy, for the execution of which a person similar to the emperor must be in power.
Conspiracy theories began to surround the increasingly popular politician. Sites have appeared on the Internet claiming that all of Medvedev’s personal data was falsified to hide the fact that he is Jewish by nationality, and his real name is Mendel. Official representatives of the Kremlin do not even comment on such theories, considering them not worthy of the attention of politicians.
On March 2, 2008, Medvedev won a landslide victory in the presidential race, gaining 70% of the vote. In May, the youngest president of Russia was inaugurated.
Dmitry Medvedev andThe first decrees of the third President of the Russian Federation concerned the development of the social sphere: education, healthcare, and improving the living conditions of veterans. The most striking project of the young head of the Russian Federation was the creation of Skolkovo - the “Russian Silicon Valley”. Medvedev also faced a five-day war with Georgia, which began against the backdrop of the conflict with South Ossetia.
It was Dmitry Medvedev who contributed to the dismissal from the post of the capital's mayor. The mayor of Moscow was dismissed in 2010 using the wording “due to loss of confidence.”
In the same year, a personal meeting between the Russian president and the head of the United States took place. Business negotiations continued in an informal setting at the American leader’s favorite hamburger joint in Washington. Footage of the two politicians having a joint breakfast spread all over the world.
Dmitry Medvedev and Barack ObamaIn 2011, during a meeting of the United Russia party, Medvedev said that Vladimir Putin, who was then prime minister, should run for president. In 2012, after Vladimir Vladimirovich’s victory in the Russian presidential elections, Dmitry Anatolyevich was appointed Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation, and a little later headed the United Russia political party.
Kremlin officials consider Medvedev a professional administrator, a decent person, an out-of-the-box thinker and a competent lawyer. According to media reports, colleagues and associates in the civil service call Dmitry Anatolyevich Vizier and Nano-President, which is most likely due to the politician’s passion for new technologies and the politician’s short stature. According to unofficial information, Medvedev’s height is 163 cm.
Some events in the work of the Prime Minister and his proposals and initiatives attract public attention, often in a negatively humorous manner. A number of his statements become memes and aphorisms and spread across the Internet in less than a day.
Dmitry Medvedev and Vladimir PutinIn May 2016, the press began quoting Dmitry Medvedev’s scandalous statement “there is no money, but you hold on” in response to a complaint about meager pensions. The phrase spread across almost all media, appeared on humorous sites and on social networks.
While some of the public came up with new jokes, others were openly outraged that the government refused to take care of pensioners. As it turned out later, the scandalous phrase that appeared in the news was simply taken out of context. In fact, Dmitry Anatolyevich promised the pensioner that indexation would take place later, when the opportunity arises. As he said goodbye, he wished to hold on, adding to this other warm wishes.
The summer of 2016 presented the public with another odious statement from the Prime Minister. This time, during the “Territory of Meanings” forum, Dmitry Anatolyevich spoke about teachers. When asked about the low salaries of teachers, Medvedev replied that the work of a teacher is a calling, and an energetic teacher will always find an opportunity to earn extra money, and if a person wants to earn a lot, then he should think about changing his profession and going into business.
In the fall of the same year, the Internet again began to quote Dmitry Anatolyevich. During the ceremony of signing agreements following a meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council, Medvedev, half jokingly and half seriously, proposed renaming the classic type of coffee “Americano” to “Rusiano”.
The public immediately took up this initiative, a number of cafes began to include a new drink on the menu, and some even offered a discount to those visitors who ordered their usual coffee, calling it in a new way.
On March 18, 2018, the Russian presidential elections took place, in which Vladimir Putin again won. After the inauguration of the elected president of the Russian Federation, the government headed by the chairman resigned. Upon taking office, Putin again offered the position of prime minister to Dmitry Medvedev. On May 18, the new composition of the Russian government was announced to journalists.
Personal life
Dmitry Medvedev's personal life, like his political career, is clean and strong. He met his future wife, the daughter of a serviceman, during his school years. Medvedev's wife was the first beauty, popular with young people at school and at the financial and economic university. However, Svetlana chose Dmitry as her future husband. The wedding took place in 1989.
The wife of a politician works in Moscow and organizes public events in her native St. Petersburg. Svetlana Medvedeva became the head of the target program for working with youth “Spiritual and moral culture of the younger generation of Russia.” At the initiative of Medvedev's wife, a new holiday was introduced in 2008 - the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity.
Wedding of Dmitry Medvedev and his wife SvetlanaIn 1996, the family had a son, Ilya, who became a student at MGIMO in 2012. Medvedev’s son entered the university on a general competitive basis thanks to his Unified State Exam scores.
Now Ilya Medvedev has successfully completed his bachelor’s degree at MGIMO and is thinking about a career as a corporate lawyer. Ilya is the only son of Dmitry Anatolyevich; according to official sources, the politician has no other children.
Dmitry Anatolyevich is a passionate fan of social networks. His accounts are registered in