Yuri Meshkov

Yuri Alexandrovich Meshkov (Ukrainian: Юрій Олександрович Мєшков, Russian: Юрий Александрович Мешков (Yuri Alexandrovich Meshkov); October 25, 1945 – September 29, 2019) was a Crimean politician and a leader of the pro-Russian movement in Crimea. Yuriy Meshkov served as the only President of Crimea from 1994 to 1995.

Eleven days after his first return to Crimea since 1995, Meshkov was deported from Ukraine on July 13, 2011 with the restriction of entry for 5 years.

Biography

Yuri Meshkov was born on October 25, 1945 in 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.[citation needed]

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 1994 he stood at the helm of the electoral bloc "Russia" 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 only president.

His main political platform was to facilitate much closer relationships with the Russian Federation up to the possible reunification of Crimea with Russia. Meshkov tried to initiate a military-political union with Russia and completely disregarded opinions of the Ukrainian government. He also tried to force the rotation of the Russian currency, issue Russian passports to the Crimean 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 regarding the legitimacy of his appointee who did not even have a 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 taught at the 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 a 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 controlled by Ukraine at that time deported Meshkov from Ukraine with the restriction of entry for 5 years on 13 July 2011.

After the 2014 annexation of Crimea by Russia, Meshkov visited the peninsular. Although he had conflicts with other members of the pro-Russian movement in Crimea in the 90s, his merits were finally recognized and in 2014 he was awarded a medal "For return of Crimea".