Yuri Meshkov was born on October 25, 1945 in Synelnykove, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Ukraine (now Ukraine) of a mother of Ukrainian origin and a Russian father of Kossan Cossacks. He grew up in Simferopol, where he finished high school. When he was about eight years old, the Crimea region was officially transferred from the Russian RSFS to the Ukrainian SSR. For his military duties, he served in the Border Guard. In 1967 (in some sources in 1977), he graduated from the Faculty of Law of the Moscow State University. Until 1982, he worked as a detective and then as chief inspector in the district attorney's office. From 1982 to 1985, he spent time on the Skif scientific research yacht. After 1985 and until 1990, he worked privately as a legal consultant. At that time, he was also one of the heads of the "Memorial" department of the Crimean Illuminating Society "All-Union" and president of the Crimean kick-boxing Federation.