Yuriy Meshkov - Biography

Biography

Yuriy Meshkov was born in 1945 Synelnykove in the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (now Ukraine) to a Ukrainian-born mother and a native Kuban Cossack Russian father. He grew up in Simferopol where he finished high school. When he was about eight years old the region of Crimea was officially transferred from the Russian SFSR to the Ukrainian SSR. His military obligation he served in the Border Guard. In 1967 (in some sources 1977) he graduated from the Law School of Moscow State University. Until 1982 he worked as a detective and then as the head detective in the office of the District's Attorney. From 1982 to 1985 he spent time on the science-researching yacht Skif. After 1985 and until 1990 worked privately as a judicial consultant. At that time he also was one of the leaders of the Crimea department of the All-Union historical-enlighting society "Memorial", and the president of the Crimean Federation of kickboxing.

In 1990, Meshkov was elected as a deputy to the Supreme Council of Crimea (the republic's parliament). There he became the co-founder of the RDK Party (Republican movement of Crimea). In 1991 persistently sabotaged the local parliament. In 1994 he stood at the helm of the electoral bloc "Rossiya" for the republican presidential elections where he easily defeated in the second round of elections Mykola Bahrov who ran as the independent. Mykola Bahrov at that time was the head of the Supreme Council of Crimea. During the second round of the 1994 Crimean presidential elections, Yuriy Meshkov won with 72.9 percent and elected as the republic's first and only president.

His main political platform was to facilitate much closer relationships with the Russian Federation up to the possible annexation of Crimea by Russia. Meshkov tried to initiate a military-political union with a foreign country and completely disregarded opinions of the Ukrainian government. He also tried to force the rotation of the Russian currency, issue foreign passports to the Ukrainian population, and even transfer Crimea to the same time zone as Moscow. Due to the unforeseen resistance from the local opposition, Meshkov only managed in putting his autonomous republic into Moscow time zone. He also appointed the vice prime-minister, the Russian economist Yevgeny Saburov, who virtually became the head of the government. And then argued when was confronted by other government officials in regards to the legitimacy of his appointee who did not even have the Ukrainian passport. Due to that Yevgeny Saburov was forced to resign. After that he managed to paralyze the work of the Supreme Council of Crimea.

In 1995, the Ukrainian parliament scrapped the Crimean Constitution and abolished the post of president on March 17, 1995. After couple of preceding warnings in September and November 1994 on March 17, 1995 the President of Ukraine, Leonid Kuchma, signed the Law of Ukraine that scrapped the amended Crimean Constitution and some other Laws of AR Crimea, because they contradicted the Constitution of Ukraine and endangered the sovereignty of Ukraine.

Then Meshkov went to Moscow (Russia), where he lives to this day and teaches at an Moscow university. He did not return to Crimea till 2 July 2011 because his ex-wife (Lyudmyla) had died (on 28 May 2011). At a 7 July 2011 press conference, he called for an referendum on restoring the Constitution of Crimea 1992 version, which actually declared Crimea an sovereign state. Meshkov also stated then that he ruled out the possibility of his participation in the political life of Crimea because of the need to change citizenship; but instead would participate in "the work of social organizations". He also stated "the Russian movement in Crimea is divided and overrun by random people and traitors". The District Administrative Court of Crimea deported Meshkov from Ukraine with the restriction of entry for 5 years on 13 July 2011.