There's Oleksii Reznikov, Defense Minister Who Was Former Soviet Paratroopers Behind Ukraine's Tough Resistance Against Russia

Russian tank in Ukraine. (Wikimedia Commons/gur.gov.ua/Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine)

JAKARTA - Russia has not yet succeeded in capturing a single major city in Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv, although it has continued to carry out attacks, bombings and sieges since the invasion on February 24.

In a Facebook post citing Ukrinform on March 18, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced that it had killed about 14,000 soldiers between February 24 and March 17 yesterday.

Not only that, Russia is also said to have lost 444 tanks, 1,435 armored fighting vehicles, 201 artillery systems, 72 MLRS, 43 air defense systems, 86 aircraft, 108 helicopters, 864 helicopters, 364 vehicles, three ships/boats, 60 fuel tankers. and 11 tactical UAVs.

Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Oleksandr Motuzyanyk said Russian forces had not made significant progress around Kyiv in the past 24-48 hours and had used "chaotic" fire.

"Ukrainian armed forces are making every effort to stop enemy attacks from the area," he told a news conference in Kyiv, adding that several residential buildings had been damaged by the falling missiles, causing civilian deaths.

Meanwhile, British military intelligence said on Thursday the Moscow invasion had largely stalled on all fronts, with Russian forces suffering heavy losses and making minimal progress on land, sea or air in recent days.

"Ukrainian resistance remains strong and well-coordinated. Most of Ukraine's territory, including all major cities, remains in Ukrainian hands," the British Ministry of Defense said.

Russian tank trapped on a demolished bridge in Ukraine. (Wikimedia Commons/mvs.gov.ua/Міністерство ав аїни)

Behind the tough efforts of Russia to fight Ukraine, there is the figure of Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, a former Soviet paratrooper who directly led the Ukrainian resistance.

Appointed four months ago, Oleksii Reznikov published a chilling report about alleged Russian atrocities in Ukraine, to rally the country's population to resist the onslaught.

"Now is a time of trial for our generation. And we are going through them with dignity," he said in an appeal to the Ukrainian people this week, citing The National News.

Reznikov, who is 55 years old and born in Lviv in western Ukraine, spent two years in the mid-1980s serving in the Soviet Airborne Parachute Army, known as an amateur skier and scuba diver.

After leaving the military, he completed a law degree in Lviv, which took him to the heart of the political crisis in post-Soviet Ukraine.

Entering politics, Reznikov is a senior official in the Kyiv city government and represents Ukraine in delegations of regional authorities to the Council of Europe.

When Zelenskyy came to power in 2019, he appointed Reznikov as a negotiator in Ukraine's sensitive talks with Russia, France and Germany, a four-way group known as the Normandy format.

Reznikov, who was later appointed deputy prime minister, claimed to have succeeded in agreeing to a ceasefire in the disputed Donbass region of eastern Ukraine, but accused Russia of having no desire to end the war and that the truce ultimately failed to be maintained.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov. (Twitter/@oleksiireznikov)

By the time Reznikov was transferred to the defense ministry in November 2021, Russia had begun amassing troops on the Ukrainian border in an escalation that sent tensions up again.

Reznikov tried to calm fears of an invasion and told Ukrainian residents in early February there was no need to pack suitcases or flee the country.

But, once Russia invaded on February 24, he was thrust into the role of organizing the Ukrainian resistance and told Russian troops when they started losing tanks and planes: "Welcome to hell."

In near-daily updates, he has spoken of his anger at Russia's onslaught and his pride in the Ukrainian resistance that western officials say has slowed the invasion.

The burning of enemy helicopters and the burial of Russian soldiers are "demonstrations of what is now happening to the occupying forces," he said in a speech on Wednesday.

"Many challenges still lie ahead. The enemy will hurt us, destroy some of the things we love. But, every day we take steps to destroy this enemy and live free," he stressed.