Saint Petersburg State University
 Saint Petersburg State University  (University)    | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Motto | Hic tuta perennat (Here all in safety lasts) |
| Formation | 1724 |
| Headquarters | Saint Petersburg |
| Type | Public |
| Has a reputation for having educated the majority of Russia's political elite | |
St Petersburg University is a Russian public university based in Saint Petersburg. It is the oldest and one of the largest universities in Russia.
Founded in 1724 by a decree of Peter the Great, the University from the very beginning has had a strong focus on fundamental research in science, engineering and humanities.
The university has a reputation for having educated the majority of Russia's political elite, including presidents Vladimir Putin and Dimitry Medvedev, both of whom studied Law at the university.
It is made up of 24 specialized faculties (departments) and institutes, the Academic Gymnasium, the Medical College, the College of Physical culture and Sports, Economics and Technology. The university has two primary campuses: one on Vasilievsky Island and the other one in Peterhof.
During the Soviet period, it was known as Leningrad State University. It was renamed after Andrei Zhdanov in 1948 and was officially called "Leningrad State University, named after A. A. Zhdanov and Decorated with the Order of Lenin and the Order of the Red Banner of Labor". A. A. Zhdanov's was removed in 1989 and Leningrad in the name was officially replaced with Saint Petersburg in 1992, however the mentions of being decorated with orders stayed for some time after that.
Alumni on Wikispooks
| Person | Born | Died | Nationality | Summary | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lyudmyla Denisova | 6 July 1960 | Ukraine | Propagandist | Ukrainian human rights ombudsman (2018 to 2022) | |
| Nikolai Durov | 21 November 1980 | Russian | Mathematician Programmer | Brother of Pavel Durov. | |
| Pavel Durov | 10 October 1984 | France Russian Kittitian | Programmer Billionaire Businessperson | Billionaire businessman arrested in France as part of the 2024 crack down on free speech | |
| Herman Gref | 8 February 1964 | Russian | Banker Deep politician | Russian banker/politician. World Economic Forum’s board of trustees. Played a prominent role in the development and production of the Sputnik V vaccine. | |
| Peter Kropotkin | 9 December 1842 | 8 February 1921 | Activist Philosopher Scientist | Anarchist philosopher promoting a decentralized economic system based on mutual aid, mutual support, and voluntary cooperation | |
| Karel Kullamaa | Estonia | Academic | Estonian academic who was listed as a member of the Institute for Statecraft until the group took its website down. | ||
| Vladimir Lenin | 22 April 1870 | 21 January 1924 | Russian | Politician Lawyer Revolutionary | Russian communist revolutionary, a big contributor to later communist ideologies, founded the Soviet Union. Started the "red terror" - a mass campaign of political repression and executing 100.000 to 200.000 political dissidents in 1918. |
| Dmitry Medvedev | 14 September 1965 | Russian | Politician | President then Prime Minister of Russia | |
| Igor Ponomarev | 6 June 1965 | 30 October 2006 | Diplomat | ||
| Vladimir Putin | 7 October 1952 | Russian | Spook Politician Enemy image | President of Russia, Russian deep politician. |
