Yuriy Meshkov facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Yuriy Meshkov
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Meshkov in 2014
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| President of Crimea | |
| In office February 16, 1994 – March 17, 1995 |
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| Preceded by | post created |
| Succeeded by | post abolished |
| 3rd Prime Minister of Crimea | |
| In office February 4, 1994 – October 6, 1994 |
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| Preceded by | Borys Samsonov |
| Succeeded by | Anatoliy Franchuk |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Yuri Aleksandrovich Meshkov
October 25, 1945 Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Died | September 29, 2019 (aged 73) Krasnogorsk, Moscow Oblast |
| Nationality | Russian |
| Political party | Republican Party of Crimea |
| Other political affiliations |
Bloc "Russia" |
| Alma mater | Moscow State University (1977) |
| Occupation | lawyer |
Yuri Alexandrovich Meshkov (October 25, 1945 – September 29, 2019) was a politician from Crimea. He was a main leader of the group that wanted Crimea to be closer to Russia. Meshkov was the only person to hold the title of President of Crimea. He served in this role from 1994 to 1995.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Yuri Meshkov was born on October 25, 1945. His birthplace was Synelnykove, which is in Ukraine today. His mother was Ukrainian, and his father was Russian. He grew up in Simferopol, a city in Crimea, where he finished high school.
When he was about eight years old, the region of Crimea was officially moved from being part of Russia to being part of Ukraine. For his military service, he worked in the Border Guard. In 1977, he finished his law studies at Moscow State University.
After university, he worked as a detective and then as a chief inspector until 1982. From 1985 to 1990, he worked as a private legal helper. During this time, he also led a part of the "Memorial" society in Crimea. He was also the president of the Crimean kick-boxing Federation.
Political Career
In 1990, Meshkov was chosen as a deputy (a type of representative) for the Supreme Council of Crimea. This was the parliament of the region. There, he helped start a political party called the RDK (Republican Crimean Movement).
In 1994, he led a group called "Russia" for the presidential elections in Crimea. He won easily in the second round against Mykola Bahrov. Mykola Bahrov was the head of the Supreme Council of Crimea at that time. In the second round of the 1994 elections, Meshkov won with 72.9% of the votes. This made him the first and only president of Crimea.
Goals as President
Yuri Meshkov's main goal as president was to make Crimea much closer to Russia. He even hoped that Crimea might become part of Russia again. He tried to create a political and military partnership with Russia. He often did not agree with the Ukrainian government's views.
He also tried to make the Russian currency (money) used in Crimea. He wanted to give Russian passports to people living in Crimea. He even tried to change Crimea's time zone to be the same as Moscow's time zone. Because of strong disagreement from local groups, Meshkov only managed to change Crimea to the Moscow time zone.
He also chose a Russian economist, Yevgeny Saburov, to be his Deputy Prime Minister. Saburov became the main head of the government. However, there were disagreements because Saburov did not even have a Ukrainian passport. Because of this, Yevgeny Saburov had to leave his position. After this, Meshkov found it hard to get the Supreme Council of Crimea to work properly.
End of the Presidency
In 1995, the Ukrainian Parliament decided to cancel Crimea's Constitution. They also ended the position of president on March 17, 1995.
Before this, in September and November 1994, Ukraine had given warnings. On March 17, 1995, the President of Ukraine, Leonid Kuchma, signed a law. This law canceled the changed Constitution of Crimea and some other laws. Ukraine said these laws did not follow Ukraine's Constitution and threatened Ukraine's independence.
See also
In Spanish: Yuri Meshkov para niños
