Looking back on Medvedev’s four years in office

President Medvedev

Russia Profile begins an article summing up Dmitry Medvedev’s presidency, which is coming to a close Monday, in a rather stark and negative manner:

Russia’s outgoing President Dmitry Medvedev probably never wished to end his term this way. His economic achievements, after four years in office, were minimal, and often had no visible impact in peoples’ day-to-day lives.

But the truth hurts sometimes. Medvedev came in with all the bluster of a reformer, but that sentiment wore off quickly, as he proved to be unable to enact meaningful economic reforms or emerge from the shadow cast by his predecessor / successor. The British Independent also has a scalding look-back on Medvedev’s tenure, quoting a Russian woman named “Masha,” who oversees the fake “Kermlin” Twitter handle:

[Medvedev’s term] was like when it snows in the night and the machines come and clear it up before dawn. When you wake up, there is a vague feeling it has been snowing, but hardly any sign of it. That’s the level of impact he has made.

Read more on Medvedev in Russia Profile and the Independent.