By Christian Lowe
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Dmitry Medvedev, the man likely to bethe next Russian president, fell in love his wife when theywere both teenagers, put himself through university by workingas a street sweeper and calls his mother every day.
Medvedev lifted the lid on his closely guarded personallife in a six-page interview published on Monday, less than twoweeks before a presidential election he is favourite to winafter outgoing President Vladimir Putin endorsed him.
The interview was paid for by Medvedev's campaign andappeared to be part of an effort to give a more human face to apublic persona most Russians associate with his role as alow-key bureaucrat who has spent years in Putin's shadow.
In the interview in Russia's Itogi news magazine, Medvedevpresented himself as an ordinary Russian from a modestbackground who never imagined he would land the Kremlin topjob.
Medvedev, 42, whose current title is first deputy primeminister, said his ancestors included farm workers, ablacksmith and a hat maker. "Neither I nor my wife can claim tohave blue blood," he said.
He recalled how he had grown up in a 40 square metreapartment in Kupchino, a blue-collar suburb on the outskirts ofSt. Petersburg. His father taught at a polytechnic instituteand money was tight, he said.
Medvedev, a fan of British rock group Deep Purple, dreamedof 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 200roubles was an astronomical sum."
CHILDHOOD SWEETHEART
Little was known about Medvedev's personal life because hehas never run for political office until now and for most ofhis career he kept a low public profile.
In the interview, Medvedev described how while atuniversity he supplemented his student stipend by working on abuilding site and as a street cleaner.
Buying his first apartment, a three-room property in aMoscow suburb, was a major event in his life. "I rememberfeeling unbelievable happiness, it was not comparable withanything else.
He added: "When I moved to Moscow in 1999, I could notimagine that eight years later I would be running for the postof president."
He fell for his future wife Svetlana when they were both inthe 7th grade at School No. 305 in Kupchino. In Russia, 7thgrade pupils are usually 14 or 15 years old.
"I lost interest in lessons. It was much more interestingto hang out with my future wife," he said.
When she gave birth to their son, Ilya, Medvedev said sheshould not go back to work.
"It is the normal logic of a man who wants to have a strongand reliable support at his back," he said. "I explained (toSvetlana) that for the family, in my view, it would be betterif the wife stays at home."
Medvedev said he was baptised into the Russian Orthodoxchurch at the age of 23, a time when religion was stillofficially frowned upon by Soviet authorities. The church hassince revived and Putin is often seen at religious services.
"I took the decision myself," Medvedev said. "The rite tookplace in one of the central cathedrals in St Petersburg, I waswith a friend. From that moment, I believe, a new life startedfor me."
Medvedev's father died in 2004, after which his mothermoved to Moscow to be closer to her son. "At the very least wetalk on the telephone every day," he said.
The interview had echoes of a public relations drive theKremlin mounted to introduce Putin to Russian voters before hefirst took office in 2000.
Himself a little-known official at the time, Putin wascatapulted into the public spotlight when his predecessor BorisYeltsin anointed him as his favoured successor.
(Writing by Christian Lowe; editing by Peter Millership)
