Dmitry Medvedev: The West’s favourite who became Putin’s foremost champion

Dmitry Medvedev is one of the few Russian politicians who have made it to the top without any ties to Soviet spy agency KGB, its successor FSB, or the military.

In one of the most remarkable careers in Russia, Medvedev rose to become the President of Russia (2008-12) and Prime Minister (2012-20) from an outsider on the basis of his loyalty to President Vladimir Putin.

For comparison, an estimate suggests that only 20 per cent of Putin’s top appointees were from outside the KGB, FSB, or the elite Russian military and bureaucratic circles. Medvedev did not just make it into this rare bunch but rose to become the president.

In the West, Medvedev was initially hailed as a democrat who Western leaders thought could usher in Western-style democracy in Russia someday. But he turned out to be a loyalist acting as a placeholder for Putin who was barred from continuing as the president because of term limits. When Putin returned to the presidency in 2012, he appointed Medvedev as the prime minister.

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Today, Medvedev is Putin’s foremost champion and has a reputation of a hawk who frequently gets into brawls with Western leaders on X.

From an outsider to President of Russia

Unlike Putin or his top aides like long-time Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Medvedev did not start out as a spy or an army officer. He was merely a lawyer.

Medvedev entered Putin’s orbit when the latter was starting his political career in St Petersburg in 1990.

At the time, Medvedev joined the Committee for Foreign Affairs of the Mayor of St Petersburg, which was headed by Putin. For context, the Mayor of St Petersburg was Anatoly Sobchak, who was a former teacher of Putin.

Medvedev and Putin became friends in St Petersburg. The relationship would go on to shape his career.

As Putin moved from St Petersburg to Moscow, Medvedev moved with his as well. Initially, he served as Putin’s personal lawyer and later played a key role in the 2000 presidential election that Putin won.

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Under Putin, Medvedev served in several positions over the years, such as his Deputy Chief of Staff, Chairman of energy giant Gazprom, and Chief of Staff, before being appointed as the First Deputy Prime Minister in 2005.

In 2008, Medvedev took over as the President of Russia when Putin could not serve a third consecutive term.

At the time, many in the West saw Medvedev’s appointment as a pivotal moment. They thought Medvedev to be a democrat who would put Russia on the path of Western democratisation and check what they saw as Putin’s consolidation of power.

Commentators said that Medvedev initially embarked on anti-corruption campaign, sought to instil scientific temper, and promote technological innovation, and advocated for civil society development in Russia. But critics of the Western point of view had said that all of that was part of natural governance and not rooted in any imitation of purported Western values.

In 2012, Putin returned to the presidency and appointed Medvedev as the prime minister. In 2020, Putin shockingly demoted Medvedev as the Deputy Chairperson of the Security Council of Russia, a position roughly equivalent to that of the National Security Advisor of the United States.