Putin's Former Classmate Appointed President of the Russian Supreme Court

Irina Budunova, 70, a former university classmate of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has been appointed as the President of the Russian Supreme Court. The Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian parliament, unanimously approved the decision, according to the Interfax news agency on Wednesday. The Kremlin nominated Budunova for this position at the beginning of the month. Budunova was born in 1953 in Pskov, western Russia, and graduated from the Law Faculty of Leningrad State University, now Saint Petersburg University, in 1975. She studied at the university alongside Putin. Recently, she held the position of Deputy President of the Supreme Court. Budunova's appointment will take effect immediately, and she has been elected to the position for six years. She succeeds the former President of the court, Vyacheslav Lebedev, who passed away in February at the age of 80 after serving in the role for over 30 years.