Svetlana Medvedeva

This name uses Eastern Slavic naming customs; the patronymic is Vladimirovna and the family name is Medvedeva.

Svetlana Vladimirovna Medvedeva (Russian: Светла́на Влади́мировна Медве́дева, pronounced [svʲɪˈtlanə vlədʲɪˈmʲirəvnə mʲɪˈdvʲedʲɪvə]; née Linnik, Russian: Линник) (born 15 March 1965), is the wife of current Russian Prime minister and former President Dmitry Medvedev.

Early years

Svetlana Linnik was born into a military family in Kronstadt, a town administered by Leningrad. She was the youngest daughter of her parents.

Svetlana with her husband, Dmitry

Svetlana was active in extracurricular activities in school and took an active part in school-held KVNs, spectacles, performances and other events. She met her future husband in middle school #305, in Kupchino, near Leningrad.

In 1987, she began studying at the Saint Petersburg State University of Economics and Finance. In her first year of university, she switched to evening courses and started working full-time. The Medvedevs married in 1993, after they had completed their studies. In 1995, she gave birth to their son Ilya and stopped working. In the same year, she was baptized into the Russian Orthodox Church.

Political activity

After the couple moved to Moscow, Medvedeva directed several Russian-Italian initiatives Sister cities Milan – Saint Petersburg and Venice – Saint Petersburg which intended to develop tourism between these cities. In 2006, she initiated the annual Russian art festival in Bari, Italy.

Svetlana Medvedeva at 34th G8 summit

File:Svetlana Medvedeva 8 November 2008-1.jpg

With Patriarch Alexy II and Metropolitan Kirill.

Medvedeva became First Lady when her husband, Dmitry Medvedev, took over as president following his victory in Russian Presidential elections on 7 May 2008. In the same year, she headed the initiative for the institution of Family Day in Russia. She has already caused something of a media frenzy even though she shies away from photographers and rarely gives interviews. Medvedeva currently chairs the management council of multitier program Spiritual and moral culture of younger generation of Russia created with blessing of Alexy II of Moscow. In a recent interview, Svetlana detailed her views on the interaction between the Russian Orthodox Church and the government of Russia in promoting family policies. She has taken up the pro-life cause in Russia's efforts to restrict abortion in 2011.

On 20 August 2010 she visited both the National Gallery and History Museum of Armenia along with the Armenian first lady Rita Sargsyan. Together they admired painters such as Ivan Aivazovsky, Vardges Surenyants, Gevorg Bashinjaghyan and Panos Terlemezyan. Following the exhibition, the Armenian first lady showed her a 5500-year-old shoe which was discovered in 2008 in Vayots Dzor province.

She is also a Pro-Life activist and has been pushing for restrictions on abortion

In addition to her native language, Russian, Medvedeva speaks French.