Oleksii Reznikov

Oleksii Yuriiovych Reznikov (Олексій Юрійович Резніков, ; born 18 June 1966) is a Ukrainian lawyer and politician who served as the Minister of Defence of Ukraine from 4 November 2021 until his dismissal on 5 September 2023.

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 in the Soviet Air Forces, serving with the 806th Bombardment Aviation Regiment at Lutsk and Military Unit 87358 at Novohrad-Volynskyi.

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.

Reznikov received a lawyer's certificate in 1994.

Reznikov's professional career began during his last year of university, when he co-founded the brokerage company Galicia Securities.

Between 1999 and 2002, he served as the Deputy Head of the Ukrainian Legislation Centre in Kyiv.

During his law practice, Reznikov defended then-presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko before the Supreme Court of Ukraine, and the third round of the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election was annulled.

Reznikov represented B. Fuksman and O. Rodnyanskiy in their case against the "Studio 1 + 1" in the company of Central European Media Enterprises, pertaining to their share of the ownership.

He represented "Investment-Metallurgical Union" Consortium defending the legality of privatization of the "Krivorozhstal"; defended PFC "Dnieper" on privatization of the "Nikopol Ferroalloy Plant".

Reznikov also represented several other people, including Savik Shuster, Vladimir Gusinsky, OJSC "ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih" company "Quasar" Sadogan Petroleum, DCH, FC Metalist Kharkiv (on charges of violating the principles of fair play), IA "IMC" Corporation " Interpipe ".

He gained extensive experience in representing clients in the Supreme Economic Court of Ukraine, the Supreme Administrative Court of Ukraine, the Supreme Court of Ukraine, and in the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne.

He also established Pravis law firm (later Reznikov, Vlasenko and Partners), which, in 2006, merged with the law firm Magister and Partners to become Magisters.

In 2009 and 2010, Magisters won the Chambers Europe Award.

In 2010, British magazine The Lawyer named Magisters the best law firm in Russia and the CIS.

In 2011, Magisters was subject of a friendly takeover by Egorov, Puginsky, Afanasiev and Partners, an international group with offices in London, Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Kyiv, Minsk and Washington, D.C. Until 3 July 2014, Reznikov headed the Department for Disputes and served as General Counsel of Egorov, Puginsky, Afanasiev and Partners.

On 20 June 2014, Reznikov's advocacy license (originally issued on 10 March 1994) was suspended, due to his appointment as the Secretary of the Kyiv City Council.

In the 2014 Kyiv local election, Reznikov was elected to Kyiv City Council's 7th convocation as a member of Solidarity.

Reznikov served as chairman of the Kyiv City Council Commission for the Restitution of the Rights of the Rehabilitated.

On 19 June 2014, Reznikov was appointed Deputy Mayor – Secretary of the Kyiv City Council.

Reznikov has served in multiple positions, including as head of Ukraine's National delegation in Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe from 2015 to 2016.

Afterwards, he turned to activism, serving as Deputy Chairman of the Mayor Anti-Corruption Council, as a board member of the "Let's Do it Together" social project.

At the same time, he also remained in government becoming a member of the Reformation Team for the Decentralisation, Local Government and Regional Policy of the Ministry of Communities and Territories Development.

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.

In November 2018, Reznikov renewed his legal practice as a partner at the Asters Law Firm.

Oleksii focuses on alternative dispute resolution including: expert determination, negotiation, facilitation, conciliation, mediation, fact-finding, early neutral evaluation, settlement conference and settlement agreements.

On 18 September 2019, President Volodymyr Zelensky authorised Reznikov to represent Ukraine in the working political subgroup at the Trilateral Contact Group on a Donbas settlement.

Reznikov stopped his right to practice law in March 2020.

The National Bar Association of Ukraine renewed Reznikov's right to practice law on 16 January 2024 "on the basis of his application."

On 5 May 2020 President Volodymyr Zelensky authorised Reznikov to First Deputy Head of the Ukrainian delegation at the Trilateral Contact Group.

On 4 March 2020, Reznikov was appointed Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine in the Shmyhal Government.

On 1 November 2021, Reznikov submitted his letter of resignation from the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine role.

This resignation request was registered by the Verkhovna Rada on 1 November 2021.

On 3 November 2021 the Verkhovna Rada dismissed him as Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine, and subsequently appointed him Minister of Defence.

Reznikov was appointed as Ukraine's Minister of Defence 7 years after Russia unilaterally annexed (the Ukrainian province) Crimea and 7 years after the start of the War in Donbas in Eastern Ukraine.

In December 2021 Reznikov stated that Germany had vetoed Ukraine's purchase of anti-drone rifles and anti-sniper systems via the NATO Support and Procurement Agency.