PERSON: Oleksii Reznikov

Minister of Defense

Oleksii Yuriyovych Reznikov (Ukrainian: Олексій Юрійович Резніков, romanized: Oleksii Yuriiovych Reznikov; born 18 June 1966) is a Ukrainian lawyer and politician who has served as the Minister of Defence of Ukraine since 4 November 2021. Reznikov previously has served in several other positions in the government of Ukraine; Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine, deputy head of the Kyiv City State Administration from 2016 to 2018, and deputy mayor-secretary of the Kyiv City Council from June 2014 to December 2015. Reznikov also served as Head of Ukraine’s National delegation in Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe from 2015 to 2016, and was chosen by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on 5 May 2020 to represent Ukraine in the working political subgroup at the Trilateral Contact Group regarding a settlement to the War in Donbas.

Reznikov was born on 18 June 1966 in Lviv, which was then part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in the Soviet Union. His father, Yurii Reznikov was a professor, Master of Sports in Acrobatics, Provost of the Lviv State Institute of Physical Culture. His mother, Olena Reznikova, was a neurologist at Lviv neuropsychiatric clinic, Master of Sports in Rhythmic Gymnastics.

From 1984 to 1986, Reznikov served[clarification needed] in the Soviet Air Forces, serving with the 806th Bombardment Aviation Regiment at Lutsk and Military Unit 87358 at Novograd-Volynsky.

Reznikov attended Lviv University, receiving a master’s degree with honours in Law in 1991. During his university years, Reznikov actively participated in student life: he won the Law Student Olympics across the Ukrainian SSR in the individual and team competitions and represented Ukraine at the Law Student Olympics across the Soviet Union. In addition to Ukrainian, Reznikov is fluent in Russian, English, and Polish.

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