Likely Russian leader lifts lid on private life

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By Christian Lowe Reuters Published: February 18, 2008
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MOSCOW: Dmitry Medvedev, the man likely to be the next Russian president, fell in love his wife when they were both teenagers, put himself through university by working as a street sweeper and calls his mother every day.

Medvedev lifted the lid on his closely guarded personal life in a six-page interview published on Monday, less than two weeks before a presidential election he is favourite to win after outgoing President Vladimir Putin endorsed him.

The interview was paid for by Medvedev's campaign and appeared to be part of an effort to give a more human face to a public persona most Russians associate with his role as a low-key bureaucrat who has spent years in Putin's shadow.

In the interview in Russia's Itogi news magazine, Medvedev presented himself as an ordinary Russian from a modest background who never imagined he would land the Kremlin top job.

Medvedev, 42, whose current title is first deputy prime minister, said his ancestors included farm workers, a blacksmith and a hat maker. "Neither I nor my wife can claim to have blue blood," he said.

He recalled how he had grown up in a 40 square metre apartment in Kupchino, a blue-collar suburb on the outskirts of St. Petersburg. His father taught at a polytechnic institute and money was tight, he said.

Medvedev, a fan of British rock group Deep Purple, dreamed of buying vinyl records and a pair of Levi's or Wrangler jeans, which at the time could only be found on the black market.

"My parents could not stretch to either of these," he said. "I remember how I dreamed of buying Pink Floyd's 'The Wall' album which had just appeared, but for me at the time 200 roubles was an astronomical sum."

CHILDHOOD SWEETHEART

Little was known about Medvedev's personal life because he has never run for political office until now and for most of his career he kept a low public profile.

In the interview, Medvedev described how while at university he supplemented his student stipend by working on a building site and as a street cleaner.

Buying his first apartment, a three-room property in a Moscow suburb, was a major event in his life. "I remember feeling unbelievable happiness, it was not comparable with anything else.

He added: "When I moved to Moscow in 1999, I could not imagine that eight years later I would be running for the post of president."

He fell for his future wife Svetlana when they were both in the 7th grade at School No. 305 in Kupchino. In Russia, 7th grade pupils are usually 14 or 15 years old.

"I lost interest in lessons. It was much more interesting to hang out with my future wife," he said.

When she gave birth to their son, Ilya, Medvedev said she should not go back to work.

"It is the normal logic of a man who wants to have a strong and reliable support at his back," he said. "I explained (to Svetlana) that for the family, in my view, it would be better if the wife stays at home."

Medvedev said he was baptised into the Russian Orthodox church at the age of 23, a time when religion was still officially frowned upon by Soviet authorities. The church has since revived and Putin is often seen at religious services.

"I took the decision myself," Medvedev said. "The rite took place in one of the central cathedrals in St Petersburg, I was with a friend. From that moment, I believe, a new life started for me."

Medvedev's father died in 2004, after which his mother moved to Moscow to be closer to her son. "At the very least we talk on the telephone every day," he said.

The interview had echoes of a public relations drive the Kremlin mounted to introduce Putin to Russian voters before he first took office in 2000.

Himself a little-known official at the time, Putin was catapulted into the public spotlight when his predecessor Boris Yeltsin anointed him as his favoured successor.

(Writing by Christian Lowe; editing by Peter Millership)

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