Sergei Tsekov

Member of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation

General Biographical Information

• Sergei Tsekov was born on September 28, 1953, in Simferopol, Crimea, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union.
• From 1971 to 1977 - studied at the Crimean State Medical Institute, specialized in surgery.
• He was awarded the Orders of Friendship (2009), Honor (2014) and Alexander Nevsky (2020).

Professional Career

• In 1977-1979 and 1979-1994, worked as a surgeon in Crimea. Performed over 2500 surgeries.
• From March 1990 to April 1994, was a member of the Parliament of Ukraine. On July 16, 1990, he was among several MPs who voted against the Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine.
• From May 1994 to July 1995, was the Chairman of the Supreme Council of Crimea.
• In 1995-1998, was a member of the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.
• From May 2006 to October 2009, and from March to November 2010, was the First Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.
• From November 2010 to February 2014, was the Chairman of the Culture Commission of the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.
• From February to March 2014, was the Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.
• In March 2014, after the annexation of Crimea, the name of the Supreme Council was changed to the State Council of the Republic of Crimea. Tsekov was appointed as the Deputy Chairman of the Council.
• On March 21, 2014, after the declaration of “independence” by Crimea and its “unification” with Russia, the de facto State Council elected Tsekov as a member of the Council of the Russian Federation. Consequently, Tsekov fell on the EU sanctions list.
• On April 7, 2014, he was elected as the First Deputy Secretary of the Crimean Regional branch of the United Russia pro-governmental Party.
• On September 14, 2014, became a member of the State Council of the I convocation of the de facto Republic of Crimea on behalf of the United Russia Party.
• In September 2014, was re-elected as the Representative of Crimea to the Council of the Russian Federation. In September 2019, he was elected for the third time.
• Since 2014, Tsekov has been a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Federation Council. He is the Co-Chair of the Inter-Parliamentary Commission between Russia and the Tskhinvali region.

Relations with Abkhazia

• In September 2008, Tsekov, who was the First Deputy Chairman of the Crimean Supreme Council, compared Crimea to Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region. In his opinion, the attempt of “Ukrainianization” of Crimea was similar to the policy that Tbilisi pursued in the separatist regions of Georgia. Tsekov said that he was the initiator of an appeal of the Crimean parliament to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on the recognition of the independence of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region. Tsekov said that he and his supporters publicly burned portraits of Saakashvili and Hitler on August 11.
• In January 2020, amid ongoing protests against the so-called elections, when Raul Khajimba resigned as a “president,” Tsekov said that Moscow's policy towards Abkhazia will remain the same even if the government changes. “Thanks to Russia's support, Abkhazia became an independent country,” and “the conflict in Abkhazia is a disagreement between individuals and clans,“ the Senator said.

Relations with the Tskhinvali Region

• On August 26, 2018, on the 10th anniversary of the declaration of “independence” of the Tskhinvali region, Tsekov visited Tskhinvali as a member of the Federation Council delegation. “South Ossetia has been set as a state,” Tsekov said.
• On April 12, 2019, Tsekov as a member of the Federation Council delegation visited the Tskhinvali region. The session of the Inter-Parliamentary Commission between Russia and the Tskhinvali region was held in Tskhinvali.
• In June 2019, in the Tskhinvali region, representatives of both houses of the Russian parliament - the Duma and the Federation Council, arrived to observe the so-called elections of the 7th convocation parliament. Tsekov was also a member of the delegation, who positively assessed the “elections”.
• On June 25, 2021, a delegation of the Federation Council chaired by Tsekov visited the Tskhinvali region. The de facto President, Anatoly Bibilov, met with Tsekov and Russian MPs. The meeting was also attended by the Russian “Ambassador” to the Tskhinvali region, Marat Kulakhmetov. Bibilov awarded Tsekov with the Order of Friendship. The Council delegation also met with representatives of the de facto parliament.
• On May 8, 2022, the second round of illegitimate presidential elections was held in the Tskhinvali region. Alan Gagloyev, the leader of the Nykhas Political Party, defeated the de facto incumbent president, Anatoly Bibilov. The “elections” were also attended by Russian politicians, who assessed the conduct of the “elections” at the “highest level.” Tsekov did not find any “violations and falsification” in the “elections.”
• On August 26, 2023, a delegation of the Council of the Russian Federation visited Tskhinvali. The visit of the delegation was related to the 15th anniversary of the recognition of the independence of the de facto republic of the Tskhinvali region by Russia (August 26, 2008). Tsekov who was a member of the delegation was awarded the “Order of Friendship.”
• On October 13, 2023, the de facto President of the Tskhinvali region, Alan Gagloyev, held a meeting with a delegation of the Russian Federation Council. The head of the Russian delegation was Tsekov. The Russian “Ambassador” to the region, Marat Kulakhmetov, also participated in the meeting. At the meeting, Gagloyev highlighted the importance of the memorandum and expressed his gratitude to Russian colleagues for this opportunity. Much of the meeting was devoted to reviewing Russian military aggression in Ukraine and highlighted the importance of supporting the militants involved. In addition, the meeting discussed the issue of “dual citizenship” for residents of the occupied region. 
• On April 18, 2024, a regular meeting of the “Commission on Cooperation between the Parliament of South Ossetia and the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of Russia” was held in Moscow. Tsekov who is the Co-Chairman of the Commission from the Russian part was also present at the meeting.
• On June 9, 2024, the de facto President of the Tskhinvali region, Alan Gagloyev, met with Tsekov who was present at the illegitimate parliamentary elections as an “international observer.”