{{short description|Russian politician and military officer (born 1965)}} {{family name hatnote|Alimovich|Melikov|lang=Eastern Slavic}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Sergey Melikov | native_name = | image = Глава Республики Дагестан Сергей Меликов (cropped).jpg | caption = Official portrait, 2025 | office = 5th [[Head of the Republic of Dagestan]] | term_start = 14 October 2021 | term_end = 4 May 2026<br /><small>Acting: 5 October 2020&nbsp;– 14 October 2021</small> | president = [[Vladimir Putin]] | predecessor = [[Vladimir Vasilyev (politician)|Vladimir Vasilyev]] | successor = [[Fyodor Shchukin]] <small>(acting)</small> | office1 = [[Federation Council (Russia)|Senator]] from [[Stavropol Krai]] | term_start1 = 27 September 2019 | term_end1 = 5 October 2020 | 1blankname1 = Governor | 1namedata1 = [[Vladimir Vladimirov (politician)|Vladimir Vladimirov]] | predecessor1 = [[Mikhail Afanasov]] | successor1 = [[Mikhail Afanasov]] | office2 = First Deputy Director and Commander-in-Chief of the [[National Guard of Russia]] | term_start2 = 28 June 2016 | term_end2 = 27 September 2019 | predecessor2 = ''Office established'' | successor2 = Viktor Strigunov | office3 = Presidential Envoy to the [[North Caucasus Federal District]] | term_start3 = 12 May 2012 | term_end3 = 28 June 2016 | president3 = [[Vladimir Putin]] | predecessor3 = [[Alexander Khloponin]] | successor3 = [[Oleg Belaventsev]] | birth_name = Sergey Alimovich Melikov | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1965|09|12|df=y}} | birth_place = [[Orekhovo-Zuyevo]], Russian SFSR, Soviet Union | party = Independent | children = 1 | native_name_lang = ru | allegiance = {{flag|Soviet Union}} (1986-1991)<br>{{flag|Russia}} (2016-2019) | battles = [[First Chechen War]] | branch = [[National Guard of Russia]] | service_years = 1986-2014<br>2016-2019 | rank = [[Colonel General]] | alma_mater = [[Frunze Military Academy]]<br />[[Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia|General Staff Military Academy]] | parents = Alim Nur-Magomedovich Melikov (father)<br>Tatyana Nikolaevna (mother) | spouse = Galina Melikova | relations = Mikhail Melikov (brother) }}

'''Sergey Alimovich Melikov''' ({{langx|ru|Сергей Алимович Меликов}}, {{langx|lez|Меликарин Алиман хва Селимгерей}}; born 12 September 1965) is a Russian politician and former military officer who served as the 5th [[Head of the Republic of Dagestan|Head of the Republic]] of [[Dagestan]] from 14 October 2021 to 4 May 2026.<ref>{{Cite web|language=ru|url=http://kremlin.ru/events/president/news/64156|title=Сергей Меликов назначен врио Главы Республики Дагестан|website=Президент России|date=5 October 2020 |accessdate=2020-10-05}}</ref><ref name="tass.ru">{{cite news|date=2021-10-14|title=Сергей Меликов избран главой Республики Дагестан|trans-title=Sergey Melikov elected as the head of the Republic of Dagestan|website=[[TASS]]|url=https://tass.ru/politika/12665587|language=ru}}</ref><ref>[https://docs.cntd.ru/document/1317801358 Указ Президента России от 04.05.2026 года "Об исполняющем обязанности Главы Республики Дагестан]</ref> Previously he served as [[List of members of the Federation Council (Russia)|Senator]] from [[Stavropol Krai]] from 2019 to 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://council.gov.ru/structure/persons/1479/|title=Меликов Сергей Алимович|author=|website=|date=|publisher=Совет Федерации Федерального Собрания Российской Федерации|language=ru|accessdate=2019-09-27}}</ref> He was the First Deputy Director and Commander-in-Chief of the [[National Guard of Russia|Russian National Guard]] from 2016 to 2019. Melikov was also the presidential envoy to the [[North Caucasian Federal District]] from 2014 to 2016.

Melikov has the military rank of [[Colonel General]] and the federal state civilian service rank of [[1st class Active State Councillor of the Russian Federation]].<ref>{{cite act|type=Decree|index=505|date=10 July 2014|legislature=[[President of Russia]]|title=О присвоении классных чинов государственной гражданской службы Российской Федерации и классных чинов юстиции федеральным государственным гражданским служащим|language=ru|url=http://pravo.gov.ru/proxy/ips/?searchres=&bpas=cd00000&a3=102000503&a3type=1&a3value=&a6=102000070&a6type=1&a6value=&a15=&a15type=1&a15value=&a7type=1&a7from=&a7to=&a7date=10.07.2014&a8=505&a8type=1&a1=&a0=&a16=&a16type=1&a16value=&a17=&a17type=1&a17value=&a4=&a4type=1&a4value=&a23=&a23type=1&a23value=&textpres=&sort=7&x=48&y=19}}</ref>

==Biography==

=== Early life === Sergey Melikov was born on 12 September 1965 in the town of [[Orekhovo-Zuyevo]] near [[Moscow]], to a family of service members.<ref name="РИА">{{cite web|url=https://ria.ru/spravka/20160728/1473061396.html|title=Биография Сергея Меликова|work=Справки|publisher=[[РИА Новости]]|date=2016-07-28|language=}}</ref><ref name="тасс биография">{{cite web |url=http://tass.ru/info/3493416 |title=Биография Сергея Меликова. Досье |author=ТАСС-ДОСЬЕ |date=2016-07-28 |website=Биографии и справки |publisher=[[ТАСС]] |accessdate=2017-09-28 |language=}}</ref> His mother was Russian, and his father a [[Lezgins|Lezgin]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Биография Сергея Меликова. Досье - ТАСС |url=https://tass.ru/info/3493416 |access-date=2023-07-04 |website=[[TASS]]}}</ref>

===Military career=== In 1986, Melikov graduated from the Saratov Higher Military Command Red Banner School of Internal Troops named after F. E. Dzerzhinsky with a degree in intelligence. After graduating, he was assigned as an officer for military service in a separate brigade of the Directorate of [[Internal Troops of the Soviet Union]] in the [[Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic|Ukrainian SSR]] and the [[Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic|Moldovian SSR]], served in [[Lvov]], and [[Odessa]], from the school. He was a member of the [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union|Communist Party]].<ref name="тасс биография" /> In 1994, he graduated from the Faculty of Border and Internal Troops of the [[Frunze Military Academy]].<ref name="тасс биография" />

Between 1994 and 1996, Melikov served in the [[First Chechen War]].<ref name="тасс биография" /> From 1994 to 1995, he held the positions of senior assistant chief of staff of the regiment, and then battalion commander of the operational division. Since 1995, he has been a senior officer of the military intelligence section of the headquarters intelligence department. In 1996, he was appointed chief of staff and a deputy commander of the operational regiment of the operational division until 1997.<ref name="Росгвардия">{{cite web |author= |date= |title=Меликов Сергей Алимович |url=http://rosgvard.ru/ru/page/AjaxPartial/melikov-sergej-alimovich |website= |publisher=Официальный сайт Федеральной службы войск национальной гвардии Российской Федерации |language= |accessdate=2017-09-28 |archive-date=2017-10-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171005063924/http://rosgvard.ru/ru/page/AjaxPartial/melikov-sergej-alimovich |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1997, he was appointed deputy commander, and in 1998, he was promoted to commander of the 2nd regiment of the [[Separate Operational Purpose Division]] of the [[Internal Troops of Russia]].

In March 2001, he took up the post of deputy commander of this division. In June 2002, he became its commander.<ref name="тасс биография" />

After completing his studies, Melikov was transferred to the North Caucasus District with the Internal Troops of the [[Ministry of Internal Affairs (Russia)|Ministry of Internal Affairs]]. In April 2008, he was appointed Chief of Staff, and First Deputy Commander of the Central Regional Command of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.{{Citation needed|date=May 2026}}

On 31 August 2011, Melikov graduated from the [[Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia]]. On the same day, by decree of the President of Russia, he was appointed commander of the Joint Group of Forces (forces) for conducting counter-terrorist operations in the North Caucasus region of the Russian Federation as the First Deputy Commander of the North Caucasus Caucasian Regional Command of Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.<ref>[http://vvmvd.ru/veterani_files/12_2011.pdf Биографическая справка и интервью генерала С. Меликова. // «На боевом посту» (журнал ВВ МВД). — 2011. — № 12. — С.4.]</ref>

On 8 May 2014, Melikov was appointed First Deputy Chief of the Main Staff of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The headquarters was headed by Colonel-General [[Sergey Bunin]].<ref name="тасс биография" />

===Presidential Envoy to the North Caucasus Federal District=== On 12 May 2014, Melikov was appointed Presidential Envoy to the [[North Caucasus Federal District]].<ref>[http://kremlin.ru/acts/bank/38452 Указ Президента Российской Федерации от 12.05.2014 г. № 326 «О полномочном представителе Президента Российской Федерации в Северо-Кавказском федеральном округе»]</ref><ref name="указ полпред скфо">{{cite web |url=http://kremlin.ru/acts/bank/38452 |title=Указ Президента Российской Федерации от 12.05.2014 г. № 326 «О полномочном представителе Президента Российской Федерации в Северо-Кавказском федеральном округе» |author= |date= |website=[[kremlin.ru]] |publisher=Сайт Президента России|accessdate=2017-09-28 |language=}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/2469168|title=Чем известны новые полпреды президента|language=ru|date=13 May 2014|magazine=[[Kommersant]]|issue=79(5352)|pages=2}}</ref> On the same day, he was added to the Security Council of the Russian Federation by presidential decree. The following month, Melikov was dismissed from military service with official date of his discharge being the day of his appointment as Presidential Envoy, with the rank of lieutenant general.<ref name="указ 12">{{cite web |url=http://kremlin.ru/acts/bank/38555|title=Указ Президента Российской Федерации от 12.06.2014 г. № 420 О «Меликове С.А.»|author= |date= |website=[[kremlin.ru]] |publisher=Сайт Президента России|accessdate=2017-09-28 |language=}}</ref> He was also awarded the rank of State Councilor of the Russian Federation, 1st class.<ref name="тасс биография" />

On 28 July 2016, Melikov was relieved of his post as Plenipotentiary Representative and was appointed First Deputy Director of the Federal Service of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation and a Commander-in-Chief of the Russian national guard.<ref name="тасс биография" /><ref>[http://kremlin.ru/acts/bank/41155 Указ Президента Российской Федерации от 28.07.2016 г. № 372 «О Меликове С. А.»]</ref> By presidential decree of 12 August, his membership of the Security Council was revoked.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kremlin.ru/acts/bank/41187|title=Указ Президента Российской Федерации от 12.08.2016 г. № 408 «О внесении изменений в состав Совета Безопасности Российской Федерации, утвержденный Указом Президента Российской Федерации от 25 мая 2012 г. № 715» |author= |date= |website=[[kremlin.ru]] |publisher=Сайт Президента России|accessdate=2017-09-28 |language=}}</ref>

===Service in the National Guard=== On 26 August 2016, by decree of the President of Russia, Melikov was awarded the military rank of Colonel General.<ref name="тасс биография" /><ref name="указ генерал-полковник">{{cite web |url=http://kremlin.ru/acts/bank/41220 |title=Указ Президента Российской Федерации от 26.08.2016 г. № 434 «О присвоении воинского звания Меликову С.А.» |author= |date= |website=[[kremlin.ru]] |publisher=Сайт Президента России|accessdate=2017-09-28 |language=}}</ref>

In 2017, RBC reported in speculation that Melikov was considered be a candidate for the next head of the Republic of Dagestan.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Замглавы Росгвардии стал основным кандидатом на пост главы Дагестана |url=https://www.rbc.ru/politics/27/09/2017/59cbc45d9a7947458c2bc5d5 |access-date=2022-05-18 |website=РБК |date=27 September 2017 |language=ru}}</ref>

In June 2019, he submitted his resignation from the post of First Deputy Director of the Federal Service of the Russian National Guard.<ref>[https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/4017762 Росгвардия умерила тыл. Ведомство Виктора Золотова собрались покинуть его первый заместитель и куратор тыловых вопросов / kommersant.ru, 1 июля 2019]</ref>

===Return to public service=== On 27 September 2019, the [[Governor of Stavropol Krai]], [[Vladimir Vladimirov (politician)|Vladimir Vladimirov]], appointed Melikov as Senator of the [[Federation Council]] from [[Stavropol Krai]].<ref>[https://stv24.tv/novosti/senatorom-ot-stavropolya-naznachen-sergej-melikov/ Сенатором от Ставрополья назначен Сергей Меликов]</ref> On 5 October 2020, the powers were terminated as Melikov, by decree of the President of Russia, was appointed Acting Head of the [[Republic of Dagestan]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Сергей Меликов назначен врио Главы Республики Дагестан |url=http://kremlin.ru/events/president/news/64156 |access-date=2022-05-18 |website=Президент России |date=5 October 2020 |language=ru}}</ref> On 14 October 2021, the parliament of Dagestan [[2021 Russian gubernatorial elections|elected him]] as the 5th Head of Dagestan.<ref name="tass.ru"/>

He was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Hero of Russia Foundation Colonel General [[Anatoly Romanov]].<ref name="тасс биография" />

On 30 April 2026, President [[Vladimir Putin]] announced Melikov's resignation, with Melikov intending to resign in September.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2026-04-30 |title=Dagestan Head Sergei Melikov Will Step Down in September, Putin Says |url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2026/04/30/dagestan-head-sergei-melikov-will-step-down-in-september-putin-says-a92653 |access-date=2026-05-01 |website=The Moscow Times |language=en}}</ref> Putin nominated [[Fyodor Shchukin]] as his replacement, though there are three other candidates.<ref name=":0">https://meduza.io/news/2026/04/30/putin-otpravil-v-otstavku-glavu-dagestana-sergeya-melikova</ref><ref name=":1" />

=== Sanctions === He is under personal international sanctions from all countries in the [[European Union]], the [[United Kingdom]], the [[United States]], [[Australia]], [[Ukraine]] and [[New Zealand]] in relation to Russia's actions in Ukraine.<ref>{{cite web |title=CONSOLIDATED LIST |url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1188172/Russia.pdf |date=29 September 2023}}</ref>

==Awards== *[[Order "For Merit to the Fatherland"]] *[[Order of Alexander Nevsky]] *[[Order of Courage (Russia)|Order of Courage]] *[[Order of Military Merit (Russia)|Order of Military Merit]] *[[Order of Honour (Russia)|Order of Honour]] *[[Medal of Zhukov]] *[[Jubilee Medal "300 Years of the Russian Navy"]] *[[Jubilee Medal "70 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR"]] *[[Medal "Participant of the military operation in Syria"]] *{{ill|Medal "200th Years of the Ministry of Defense"|ru|Медаль «200 лет Министерству обороны»}} *{{ill|Medal "For Commonwealth in the Name of Salvation"|ru|Медаль «За содружество во имя спасения»}} *{{ill|Medal "200 Years of the MVD of Russia"|ru|Медаль «200 лет МВД России»}} *[[Awards of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia]] *[[Order For Services to the Republic of Dagestan]] *{{ill|Order of Kadyrov|ru|Орден Кадырова}} *{{ill|lt=Medal "Combat Commonwealth" (Syria)|ru|Медаль «Боевое содружество» (Сирия)}} *{{ill|Order of St. Sergius of Radonezh|ru|Орден Преподобного Сергия Радонежского}}

==Personal life== Melikov has an ethnic [[Lezgins|Lezgin]] father, and a Russian mother. His father, Alim Nur-Magomedovich (1932–2012), was a retired colonel, commander of a brigade of internal troops of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs.<ref name="тасс биография" /> His mother, Tatyana Nikolayevna, was a teacher.

His older brother, [[Mikhail Melikov|Mikhail]] (born 2 February 1958), is a major general in the reserves, who graduated from the Leningrad Combined Arms Command School, and served in various positions up to battalion commander in the Airborne Forces. Mikhail was later transferred to the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as he commanded a regiment of Internal Troops in [[Yaroslavl]]. From 1998 to 1999, he was the commander of the 1st Operational Regiment of the Separate Operational Division of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. From 1999 to 2001, Mikhail Melikov was the commander of the 1st Special Purpose Regiment "[[Vityaz (MVD)|Vityaz]]" of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, chairman of the public organization of veterans of special forces an operational division of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in [[Novocherkassk]].<ref name="тасс биография" />

Sergey's wife, Galina Melikova, is a military doctor. Their son, Mikhail, studied at the Military University of the [[Ministry of Defense (Russia)|Ministry of Defence]] as of July 2018. Their stepson [[Dmitry Serkov]] (1981 - 2 August 2007), served in the 1st Red Banner Special Forces "Vityaz", and was the commander of the assault group of the 1st platoon of the 1st group of the unit. Serkov died on 2 August 2007 in Dagestan during a combat mission. In December 2007, Serkov was posthumously awarded the title of [[Hero of the Russian Federation]].<ref name="тасс биография" />

Melikov is an [[Russian Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christian]] in a Muslim-majority region.

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *{{Commons category-inline}} {{Heads of the Republic of Dagestan}} {{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Melikov, Sergey}} [[Category:1965 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:1st class Active State Councillors of the Russian Federation]] [[Category:Communist Party of the Soviet Union members]] [[Category:United Russia politicians]] [[Category:People from Orekhovo-Zuyevo]] [[Category:Russian people of Lezgian descent]] [[Category:Russian individuals subject to United Kingdom sanctions]] [[Category:Members of the Federation Council of Russia (after 2000)]] [[Category:Heads of the Republic of Dagestan]] [[Category:Recipients of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 4th class]] [[Category:Recipients of the Order of Courage (Russia)]] [[Category:Recipients of the Order of Alexander Nevsky (Russian Federation)]] [[Category:Recipients of the Order of Military Merit (Russia)]] [[Category:Recipients of the Order of Honour (Russia)]] [[Category:Recipients of the Medal of Zhukov]] [[Category:Recipients of the Medal "Participant of the military operation in Syria"]] [[Category:Frunze Military Academy alumni]] [[Category:Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia alumni]]