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Vladimir Medinsky | |
|---|---|
Владимир Мединский | |
.jpg) Medinsky in 2025 | |
| Aide to the President of Russia | |
| Assumed office 24 January 2020 | |
| President | Vladimir Putin |
| Chairman of theUnion of Writers of Russia | |
| Assumed office 27 February 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Nikolai Ivanov |
| Minister of Culture | |
| In office 21 May 2012 – 15 January 2020 | |
| Prime Minister | Dmitry Medvedev |
| Preceded by | Aleksandr Avdeyev |
| Succeeded by | Olga Lyubimova |
| Member of theState Duma (Party List Seat) | |
| In office 7 December 2003 – 21 December 2011 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Vladimir Rostislavovich Medinsky (1970-07-18)18 July 1970 (age 55) |
| Political party | United Russia (2001–present) |
| Other political affiliations | Communist Party of the Soviet Union (before 1991) Independent (1991–1995) Our Home – Russia (1995–2000) Unity (1999–2001) |
| Spouse | Marina Medinskaya (née Nikitina) |
| Children | 4 |
| Alma mater | Moscow State Institute of International Relations (Doctor of Political Sciences) |
| Profession | Politician,historian,publicist,writer |
| Website | http://www.medinskiy.ru/ |
Vladimir Rostislavovich Medinsky (Russian:Владимир Ростиславович Мединский; born 18 July 1970) is a Russianpolitician,diplomat andhistorian who currently serves as an Aide toPresidentVladimir Putin. Previously, he has served as theMinister of Culture from May 2012 to January 2020.[1] He was a member of the4th and5 State Duma from 2004 to 2011. He has been a member of the General Council of theUnited Russia party since 2017. Medinsky has the federal state civilian service rank of1st class Active State Councillor of the Russian Federation.[2]
Vladimir Medinsky's views have been characterized by some media asstatist andultraconservative. His political career began in 1992 after his graduation fromMoscow State Institute of International Relations, where he earned a degree in international relations.Forbes has described Medinsky as a member of Vladimir Putin’s "ideological clan". After becoming a member of the State Duma in 2003, he soon emerged as a prominent figure in the Russianpolitical establishment. During this period, Medinsky gained recognition as a notablepolitical strategist,campaign manager,publicist, andpopularizer of history.
Medinsky rose to prominence among readers through a series of non-fiction books onRussian history. In 2012, his debut historical novel,The Wall, was published, focusing on the events of theTime of Troubles. The novel was later adapted into a film, and theatrical productions based on it were staged atMoscow'sMaly Theatre, as well as at theatres ofSmolensk andVladivostok.
In addition to his government positions, he serves as Chairman of the Russian Military-Historical Society (a nationwide public-state organization) and Chairman of theUnion of Writers of Russia (a nationwide public organization).
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Medinsky was born in the town ofSmila in theCherkasy Oblast of theUkrainian SSR.[3] In the early 1980s, the Medinsky family moved to Moscow. He applied to theMoscow Higher Combined Arms Command School but was rejected due to failing the vision requirements. Subsequently, in 1987, he enrolled at theMoscow State Institute of International Relations under theUSSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
While studying at MGIMO, he maintained his passion for military history. According to recollections of his classmates, Medinsky regularly attended open lectures at theMSU Faculty of History and was noted for his phenomenal memory of historical events. During his time at the institute, Medinsky served on the MGIMOKomsomol committee and worked as a counselor at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs'pioneer camp.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he completed an internship as a correspondent in the international desk ofTASS news agency. During theAugust 1991 coup attempt, Medinsky was among the defenders of theWhite House. In 1991 and 1992, Medinsky completed internships at the Soviet (later Russian)Embassy in the United States. He graduated from MGIMO with honors in 1992.
He is fluent inEnglish andCzech.
In 1998, Medinsky enteredcivil service as an advisor to the Director of theFederal Tax Police Service. In May 1999, he was appointed head of the Department at theMinistry of Taxes and Levies.
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In 1999, Medinsky joined the election campaign staff of theFatherland – All Russia bloc for the elections to the3rd State Duma. From 2002 to 2004, he headed the Moscow executive committee of theUnited Russia political party and led the party's Moscow campaign headquarters during the2003 elections. In December 2003, he was elected to the State Duma through the party's federal list. Between 2004 and 2005, he served as deputy head of United Russia's central executive committee.
During the4th State Duma convocation, Medinsky held several key positions, including Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Information Policy, Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Economic Policy, and ultimately Chairman of the Committee on Culture.
In 2004, he authored a draft of the new Federal Law "On Advertising". Designed to replace the outdated 1995 legislation, this bill introduced significant new restrictions, including prohibitions on advertisingalcoholic beverages,tobacco products, dietary supplements, andmedical goods/services. It also established legal definitions forsocial and sponsorship advertising while implementing the first-ever limits ontelevision advertising duration. The law was ultimately adopted and came into force on 1 July 2006.
Medinsky pioneered legislative efforts to severely restrictgambling operations (casinos) nationwide, proposing substantial tax increases on gaming tables and a complete ban onslot machines. This initiative sparked a public conflict with his fellow member of State Duma,Alexander Lebedev, who sent Medinsky an insulting written message. Medinsky responded with adefamation lawsuit, which theBasmanny District Court of Moscow decided in his favor, ordering Lebedev to publish a retraction and pay financial compensation. Ultimately, the gambling prohibition legislation was submitted to the State Duma by the Russian President personally and subsequently enacted.
Elected to the5th State Duma on United Russia's party list fromLipetsk Oblast, Medinsky received the mandate previously held by theLipetsk GovernorOleg Korolyov. As a deputy, Medinsky's notable legislative initiatives included proposing stricter amendments to Russia's advertising law and tobacco restrictions. In April 2008, he advocated for a complete ban on cigarette advertising. Medinsky, together with DeputyNikolai Gerasimenko, successfully introduced mandatory large-format health warnings on cigarette packages.
During the2008 financial crisis, Medinsky co-sponsored with fellow United Russia memberVladimir Gruzdev amendments to theRussian Criminal Code aimed at easing pretrial restrictions for entrepreneurs.
His parliamentary activities included serving as coordinator of the Duma's liaison group withNational Assembly of South Korea and membership in theFederal Assembly's permanent delegation to theRussia-European Union Parliamentary Cooperation Committee. In 2010, PresidentDmitry Medvedev appointed him to the Presidential Commission on Countering Historical Falsification.[4] The following year, he joined the board ofRusskiy Mir Foundation, which promotesRussian language andRussian culture worldwide. In 2011, Medinsky assumed chairmanship of the Duma's Culture Committee.
He became a campaign surrogate forVladimir Putin during the latter's2012 presidential campaign.
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At the initiative ofPrime MinisterDmitry Medvedev, supported by President Putin, Medinsky was appointed Minister of Culture on 21 May 2012.[5] His appointment came as a surprise and provoked polarized reactions.[citation needed]
In a journalistic investigation published byRBK in July 2015,Ivan Golunov highlighted several notable initiatives by Medinsky as minister. These included a proposal to rename Moscow streets bearing the names of revolutionary terrorists likeStepan Khalturin,Andrei Zhelyabov andPyotr Voykov, as well asVoykovskaya metro station (Medinsky suggested giving the streets the names of terrorism victims, includingGrand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich and his wifeGrand Duchess Elisabeth). Commenting on the presidential decree to create a unified concept for teaching Russian history, Medinsky proposed limiting the curriculum to the year 2000, excluding the presidential terms of Putin and Medvedev (which would avoid including controversial figures of modern national history and ambiguous interpretations in textbooks). Medinsky also promoted numerous protectionist measures in the film industry, which led to increased box office revenues and a greater share ofRussian films in distribution.
Under Medinsky, the Ministry of Culture secured funding for films focusing on historical themes (Panfilov's 28 Men,Sobibor), inspirational success stories (Legend No. 17), legal order, scientific progress,family values, and the golden age ofRussian literature. In 2015, the ministry spearheaded an initiative to adapt Russian cinemas forvisually andhearing-impaired audiences by introducing audio descriptions and closed captioning.
In January 2020, Medinsky was not included inMikhail Mishustin's newcabinet following criticism fromSergey Neverov and other United Russia party members. He was appointed Aide to the President of Russia by Vladimir Putin.[6]
In February 2022, following theRussian invasion of Ukraine, Medinsky headed the Russian delegation inpeace negotiations withUkraine inHomel,Belarus andIstanbul,Turkey.[7] He was re-appointed as head of the Russian delegation for the 2025 negotiations in Istanbul.
In 2025, Medinsky was appointed the head of theUnion of Russian Writers.[8]
From 1993 to 1997, Medinsky pursued postgraduate studies at MGIMO specializing in political science. In 1997, he defended hisCandidate of Sciences thesis in political science, entitled "Current Stage of Global Development and Challenges in Shaping Russia's Foreign Policy", followed by aDoctor of Sciences thesis entitled "Theoretical and Methodological Issues in Formulating Russia's Foreign Policy Strategy within the Emerging Global Information Space" in 2000.[9] At MGIMO, he progressed through academic ranks frominstructor tofull professor.
In June 2011 he defended a Doctor of Sciences thesis inhistory entitled "Problems of Objectivity in the Coverage of Russian History from the second half of the 15th to 17th centuries" at theRussian State Social University. This thesis has been widely debated in theRussian media and a large number of fragments have been shown to bear a significant resemblance to existing academic works, which caused numerous accusations of plagiarism.[10][11]
On 23 May 2014, theDissernet community, an informal group of academics and journalists concerned with dissertation plagiarism, declared to have found plagiarism in two previous dissertations by Medinsky, of 1997[12] and 1999.[13] According to Dissernet's expertise, in the first thesis 87 pages out of 120 have been borrowed from the thesis of Medinsky's doctoral advisor Professor Sergey Proskurin. In the second thesis, 21 pages textually coincide with other people's works.[9][14]
On 3 October 2017 the top Russian academic council recommended revoking Medinsky's 2011 doctorate.[15] However, on 20 October 2017 a committee of a government agency that oversees the awarding of higher academic degrees ruled in the minister's favour by 16 to 6.[16]
Vladimir Medinsky has been described as a "nationalist enamoured ofclassicism andtraditional values".[17]
Medinsky supports the removal ofVladimir Lenin's body fromLenin's Mausoleum to bury it.[18][19]
Medinsky believes that statues ofJoseph Stalin should be erected in places where the majority of local people are in favour.[20]
In 2013, Medinsky's Culture Ministry proposed an updated cultural policy blueprint. Calling for "a rejection of the principles oftolerance andmulticulturalism", it emphasizes Russian "traditional values" and cautions against "pseudo-art" that may be at variance with those values.[21]
In 2015, Medinsky called for the creation of a Russian "patriotic Internet" to combat Western ideas, adding that those who are against Russia are against the truth.[22]
Under the initiative of the Russian Military-Historical Society chaired by Medinsky, several commemorative projects were implemented. In 2015, Moscow's "Ulitsa Podbelskogo" metro station was renamed "Bulvar Rokossovskogo", accompanied by the installation of an equestrian monument to MarshalKonstantin Rokossovsky.[23] In 2018, a Moscow street was named afterAlexander Pechersky, the organizer of theSobibor extermination camp uprising. Through Medinsky's efforts, Pechersky was posthumously awarded theOrder of Courage.[24]
Medinsky called President Putin "an absolute genius of modernRealpolitik".[25]
In 2019, Medinsky called theChernobyl series "masterfully made" and "filmed with great respect for ordinary people".[26] Medinsky's father was one of theChernobyl liquidators.[25]
Shortly after the start of the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Medinsky claimed that "We stand for peace".[27]
In August 2023, a history textbook written by Medinsky claimed that the1956 Hungarian Revolution was afascist uprising organised by theWest.[28] In response, Hungary's Minister of Foreign Affairs and TradePéter Szijjártó said "labelling these people as fascists is simply unacceptable".[29] The textbook claims on page 393 that after thecollapse of the Soviet Union, the "West became fixated with destabilising the situation inside Russia. The aim was not even hidden: to dismember Russia and to get control over its resources." Critics say the textbook spreadsKremlin propaganda and theworldview of Vladimir Putin.[30]
In May 2025, Medinsky was leading a Russian delegation to anegotiation meeting with Ukraine in Istanbul, Turkey. He demanded that Ukraine should allow Russia to keep the Ukrainian regions that wereoccupied by Russia, and also to give up more land. He stated that Russia was prepared to fight the war for as many years as was necessary to achieve the Russian goals, and referred to the18th century Russo-Swedish War, saying that it lasted for 21 years.[31]
Medinsky's appointment as Minister of Culture drew skepticism from many cultural figures, including actressLiya Akhedzhakova, filmmakersAlexander Sokurov andYuli Gusman, andEkaterina Genieva, director of theAll-Russia State Library for Foreign Literature.Communist Party leaderGennady Zyuganov strongly opposed the appointment, describing Medinsky as "one of the most viciousRussophobes andanti-Soviet figures", with the Communist Party faction issuing an official protest.
One month after his appointment,Gazeta.Ru noted that while Medinsky's predecessors as culture ministers (Mikhail Shvydkoy,Aleksandr Sokolov, andAleksandr Avdeyev) had all been respectable figures unquestionably viewed as members ofintelligentsia by the cultural community, Medinsky's early weeks in office demonstrated that cultural leaders and officials were "clearly stunned by the arrival of a superior who doesn't even attempt to appear intellectual". Critics highlighted Medinsky's lack of relevant professional experience for the role. JournalistAndrey Piontkovsky compared him to theThird Reich's propaganda minister, while ex-Prime MinisterMikhail Kasyanov characterized him as part of Vladimir Putin'spropaganda apparatus.
In January 2014, Medinsky participated in a discussion onEcho of Moscow radio concerning the history of theGreat Patriotic War and its presentation in a unified history textbook. During the conversation about theSiege of Leningrad, the topic turned to "rum babas" (a type of pastry) allegedly baked for city officials, particularlyAndrei Zhdanov. Show host noted that information about the confectionery workshop appeared in the 2013 reissue ofThe Siege Book by war veteran writerDaniil Granin, to which Medinsky responded: "That's a lie". The following day,Boris Vishnevskiy, aYabloko party deputy in theLegislative Assembly of Saint Petersburg, demanded in an open letter that the minister either refute the facts presented inThe Siege Book or apologize to the author. The ministry's press service stated that Medinsky's words had been misinterpreted and were not directed at Granin or his work. They also noted that pastries couldn't have been intended for Zhdanov, who wasdiabetic. In a February phone conversation with Granin, the misunderstanding was resolved.
In November 2014, the Ministry of Culture denied funding to the international documentary film festivalArtdocfest. The decision was attributed to the political stance of the festival's president,Vitaly Mansky, which the minister described as "anti-state". Medinsky stated he would not approve funding for any of Mansky's projects while remaining in his ministerial position. This incident was followed by another controversy in January 2018, when the Ministry of Culture delayed issuing a distribution certificate for the filmDAU. Degeneration and subsequently revoked the distribution certificate forThe Death of Stalin, sparking public outcry.
In June 2016, a memorial plaque honoringGustaf Mannerheim was unveiled on the building of theMilitary Engineering-Technical University in Saint Petersburg, with the participation of Medinsky andSergei Ivanov,Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office. During the ceremony, Medinsky stated that "erecting monuments to heroes ofWorld War I represents an attempt to heal the tragic divisions in society". The initiative sparked public criticism, with the plaque repeatedly vandalized. A lawsuit was subsequently filed demanding its removal. By August 2016, on Medinsky's orders, the plaque was relocated to the World War I Museum inTsarskoye Selo, which had been established two years earlier through the minister's personal initiative.
In October 2016, following the premiere of the filmPanfilov's 28 Men (produced with financial support from the Ministry of Culture), Medinsky strongly criticized skeptics of the historical account. In a media interview, he labeled them as "utter scum" for questioning what he called the "sacred legend" of the 28 Panfilov soldiers, which he described as symbolizing the people's heroism duringWorld War II.
The minister faced criticism fromSergey Neverov, leader of the United Russia parliamentary faction, who condemned the Ministry's unclear policy regarding film distribution certificates. The same day, State Duma deputyOlga Batalina voiced support for Medinsky, praising collaborative projects between the party and ministry aimed at preserving and developing cultural institutions across all levels, from small towns to rural settlements.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Russian Minister of Culture 2012–2020 | Succeeded by |
