The fighting has intensified across southern and eastern Ukraine in recent weeks, and a major new offensive is widely expected with the war completing the first anniversary.
While the war has made the notorious Wagner group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin a prominent player on the Russian front, the aggression has also made several heroes in Ukraine.
As the Russian aggression against Ukraine marks one year on Feb 24, News18 takes a look at some of the key players who rose to fame:
RUSSIA
Yevgeny Prigozhin
Yevgeny Prigozhin, a businessman and an oligarch, has been one of the prominent names leading the Russian assault in Bakhmut. Considered close to Russian President Vladimir Putin and often referred to as “Putin’s chef”, Prigozhin has not only recruited from prisons in Russia but also played a large role in the Ukraine war when it proved costly for the Russians.
However, his popularity and his influence in the Kremlin has earned him powerful rivals and he has been touted as a successor to Putin. The Wagner chief has defied Russian laws and also openly criticised and challenged state officials.
A video of Yevgeny Prigozhin was doing rounds on the internet where he addresses the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky from the cockpit of a Su-24 fighter-bomber, challenging him to a duel in the skies. However, some expert analysed that he not only considers himself a peer of Zelensky, but has little regard for diplomatic protocol where only a head of state should address his or her counterpart directly.
Alexander Dugin
Ultra-right-wing nationalist Alexander Dugin, dubbed as ‘Putin’s Brain’, is well known for his intellectual influence on President Vladimir Putin. He is seen as a symbolic figure in Russian politics despite not holding any official state position, according to BBC.
The Moscow-born author of more than 30 books is also sometimes referred to as “Putin’s philosopher” or “Putin’s brain”.
He is known for supporting Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014. In one of the videos addressed to his followers at the time, he said, “I think we should kill, kill, kill (Ukrainians), there can’t be any other talk.”
The actual influence of Dugin over Putin’s day-to-day operations has been a topic of debate for long. However, the two men have never been photographed together and Dugin has never held an official position within Russia, according to The Guardian.
UKRAINE
Valeriy Zaluzhnyy
Russia, US, and rest of the world thought that the Russian aggression in Ukraine would end within days as Moscow would demolish Kyiv. However, the Ukrainians led the fight and managed to regain control of some of the occupied territories.
During the entire episode, one person- Valeriy Zaluzhnyy- played a significant role but remained behind the scenes. The commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces is credited with Ukraine’s surprising military successes so far, protecting Kyiv, and holding most other major cities amid the war.
Zaluzhnyy has been trained rigorously in eight-year war in Donbas and deployed to training across Europe to drill with NATO force. While listing him among 100 Most Influential People of 2022, Time said, Zaluzhnyy’s “leadership enabled the Ukrainian armed forces to adapt quickly with battlefield initiative against the Russians.”
Unlike Zelensky who has been the Ukrainian face behind the war, Zaluzhnyy has largely avoided the spectacle of a celebrity commander and keeps a low profile.
Sniper “Charcoal”
A female Ukrainian sniper, known by her code name “Charcoal” has being hailed as a national hero and being compared to the legendary Second World War sharpshooter nicknamed “Lady Death”.
The Ukrainian sharpshooter, has been waging a long war against the Russians even before Feb 24. She fought in the country’s east against Russia-backed separatists and served until Jan 2022. She then joined back when Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, according to The Independent.
The Ukrainian army has unveiled the sniper to the world, where she is wearing a a shemagh-style scarf and her weapon is draped in camouflage netting. However, the army has not provided any details about her battlefield victories against the invasion.
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