Medinsky Vladimir

Minister of Culture of Russia (2012 — to date)

Medinsky Vladimir biography

MEDINSKY Vladimir Rostislavovich (b. 1970) is a controversial Russian Minister of Culture. Born in Ukraine into a Soviet officer’s family he spent his childhood in military garrisons. In 1987, he entered MGIMO’s Faculty of International Journalism, where he was a member of the Komsomol organization and joined the Communist party.

• In 1991-1992, Medinsky completed an internship as an assistant spokesman for the USSR (then Russian) Embassy in the United States.
• In 1992, he graduated from the institute. In 1992, together with fellow students, he created the advertising and PR agency that worked with financial pyramids. In 1999, Medinsky got a Ph.D. in Political Science.
• In 1998, Vladimir Medinsky became vice president of the Russian Association of Public Relations. Medinsky became a civil servant, first becoming a PR of the Federal Tax Police Service of Russia, Sergei Almazov, and then he headed the Information Policy Department of the Ministry of Taxes.
• In 1999, Medinsky worked at the election headquarters of the Fatherland-All Russia bloc.
• In December 2001, Medinsky joined the Unity and Fatherland-United Russia party.
• In 2004-2005 he was deputy head of the Central Executive Commission of the United Russia party.
• In December 2004, he was elected to the State Duma and became a member of the Bureau of the Supreme Council of the party. On May 21, 2012, Vladimir Medinsky was appointed Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation.
• In 2013, Vladimir Medinsky established and headed the Russian Military Historical Society. In 2015, Medinsky called President Putin “the absolute genius of modern real politics”.

“Trash writer, obscurantist, absolute freak – this can also be an advantage.”
Oleg Kashin on the appointment of Vladimir Medinsky