Lvov–Sandomierz Offensive
Drafted into the Imperial Russian Army in World War I, Meshcheryakov became a non-commissioned officer and was decorated for his actions. He became a machine gun instructor in 1917 and joined the Red Army, fighting in the Russian Civil War. Demobilized in the mid-1920s, Meshcheryakov was a worker and a teacher during the interwar period. He was called up again and became a Red Army officer after Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union. He led a battalion and a regiment, and took command of the 136th Rifle Division in June 1944. Meshcheryakov was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union for his leadership of the 136th Rifle Division during the Lvov–Sandomierz Offensive that summer. He became a deputy division and deputy corps commander in 1945. Postwar, after a stint as a Soviet adviser in Mongolia, he became chief of a military school before retiring in 1958.