Alexander "Sasha" Kozachenko is the deuteragonist of Resident Evil: Damnation. He is a Russian teacher turned resistance fighter in the Eastern Slav Republic. When Svetlana Belikova forcefully took over the country, Kozachenko's wife and the school they taught out were both destroyed in the onslaught, leading to him joining the rebellion against her. In the waning days of the civil war, he would infect himself with a dominant Plaga, granting him control over Lickers infected with the submissive type. With the help of Leon Kennedy, the war would be brought to an end and Belikova's atrocities exposed to the world. While freeing himself of the parasite cost him use of his legs, he was able to make an otherwise full recovery and returned to his job as an elementary school teacher.
He is voiced by David Earnest.
Biography[]
History[]
As a child, Buddy grew up with two close friends - Irina and JD. Eventually, Buddy ended up becoming an elementary school teacher alongside his childhood friend, Irina. The two fell in love and were engaged to be married in the midst of the civil war. However, the school they both taught at was believed by the government and oligarchs to be a front and support for the "pro-independents" and resistance members. It was attacked and burned to the ground, killing school children and Irina in the process. This is what sparked Buddy into action, finally joining the revolution
Resident Evil: Damnation[]
During the course of the fight against the government, Buddy stayed close to his friend, JD, as well as a man named Ivan Judanovich, an Ataman of the Council of Elders. Buddy was present when Judanovich ordered and summoned a Licker to attack and kill a CIA contact under the codename Scarecrow (believing to be a spy sent by Svetlana), and later U.S. government agent Leon Scott Kennedy, who Scarecrow was to be meeting. When Judanovich halted another Licker from killing Leon sparing his life, Judanovich decided to release 2 of the Lead Lickers (#1 and #2) back to the wild/stray, he and JD took him hostage to question him in their basement hideout. With Leon's gear confiscated by JD, Buddy tried to extract information from Leon and despite Leon's attempt to tricking them into thinking he was a regular American, Buddy knew he was different, given how skilled he was to keep up with the Licker.
As sick Judanovich's condition worsened, Leon and JD both grew worried which in turn drew Buddy's attention. However, Judanovich insisted he was alright. At that moment, the government soldiers returned and attacked the basement hideout. The soldiers became distracted as Judanovich started to show signs of being infected with the Plaga, which gave Buddy an opening. He attacked one of the soldiers, trying to wrestle his weapon away and shooting another soldier in the process. Buddy stepped in again as JD was shot while trying to escape with Judanovich, opening fire with his own weapon against the soldiers before helping both allies to their feet and proceeding to escape through a side tunnel as reinforcements arrived.
During their escape, JD collapsed as he thinks he was he dying from his gunshot. Buddy harshly scolded him for his ignorance, reminding him that the vest he took from Leon was a bulletproof vest. When he is asked by JD what happened to Leon, Buddy casually remarked that he is probably dead. Buddy tried to help Judanovich to continue their escape, but was told by the Ataman to leave him behind. Judanovich begged Buddy to go on and escape so that he would be able to carry on their attack against the capital and create their "new future." As he drew his pistol, Buddy hesitated before firing several times, killing Judanovich. The gunshots drew the attention of government officers though, but Buddy seemed unfazed by the prospect, distantly telling JD to carry on to the church while he went to check on another ally by the name of Marco.
Buddy arrived later when JD and Leon found the church empty, dispelling JD's suspicions that Leon had an involvement with comrades that were supposed to be there going missing. Still not trusting Leon, however, Buddy said there are more questions he wants to ask. After a sarcastic remark from Leon, Buddy punched him before having their existing comrades to take him hostage again. As he watched the infected people of his city, JD questioned their after move. Buddy remarked that he intended to go obtain "it," a sample of the master Plaga left for them by the Elders. Although JD tried to reason with him and explain the possible consequences, Buddy cared only for the future of the country and the resistance. He informed JD before leaving that he would meet up with the rest of the resistance in the morning to plan their attack on the presidential palace. Buddy later found the drop-off in the central marketplace of the city, a metal briefcase consisting of the Plaga and an injector.
When Buddy returned to the church, he found only JD and Leon with the bodies of infected and former comrades. As JD began to show signs of infection, Buddy immediately suspected Leon of being behind it. JD tried to explain that Leon had nothing to do with it and urged Buddy to leave him alone. Buddy could only watch, however, as his friend was overcome by the infection and suddenly attacked him. Leon saved Buddy by shooting JD twice in the back, but when he tried to finish him Buddy immediately stopped him. Motioning for him to move back, Buddy stood by JD with his weapon at ready. Buddy watched and listened as JD gave his final words and when the mutated Plaga erupted from JD's head, Buddy could still only watch, horrified, as Leon ended the infected JD's life.
Leon tried to turn Buddy around from using B.O.W.s in the war and infecting himself with the Plaga. However, Buddy calmly explained to him that he believed that using B.O.W.s was no different from using any weapon such as a gun. Buddy requested that Leon put his gun down to "keep this from happening again," though Leon made no move. Accepting Leon's answer, Buddy escaped from the church as it began to collapse in upon them.
As Leon and Ada Wong battled with Svetlana Belikova and her army of government soldiers in an underground facility beneath the presidential palace, Buddy used the ability of the master Plaga to order a group of Lickers to attack. Using one as a distraction through the service elevator, several more found clinging to the ceiling were ordered to attack and kill the soldiers present. In the wake of the carnage, Buddy stood on a walkway above as he watched. When questioned by Leon if he had already used the Plaga, Buddy only coldly commanded a Licker to attack Leon.
Buddy evaded a pursuing Leon by using a Licker to distract him and in turn pursued his own prey - Svetlana. He ordered a group of Lickers to attack her present soldiers but found when they tried to attack Svetlana, she was safe behind a sheen of protective glass. Enraged, Buddy opened fire with his assault rifle as he charged at the glass and immediately pounded his fists against it. Svetlana advised Buddy to give up his fight, though Buddy only reacted with a cold remark, claiming Svetlana to be a "pretender to the throne." Buddy was shocked when Svetlana revealed that the Elders that promised to help them, aside from Ataman, had agreed to forfeit their attempts at independence in exchange for oil profits.
As Svetlana continued to try and break Buddy's spirits and convince him to stray from his decision, Buddy began to suffer instance of pain from being taken over by the Plaga. In a rage, he ordered a Licker to try and attack again though the creature was stopped as tube carrying a new form of Tyrant rose from the facility's floor. The Tyrant easily disposed of the Lickers Buddy sent after it as Svetlana made her escape. Buddy proceeded to pound futilely on the glass separating them, screaming after her. His attention was soon drawn to the sound of a warning of a biohazard leak and the eventual incineration of a facility just as another B.O.W. of the same series was released.
Buddy evaded one of the Tyrants as the other went after Leon. Though still in pain from his infection, Buddy found it hard to move and escape and attempted to use two Lickers to try and distract the Tyrant and block its vision. However, he underestimated the Tyrant which quickly killed both creatures. The Tyrant turned its sights on Buddy but was blown away by the second Tyrant, thrown into it by an explosion caused by Leon. Buddy and Leon both made their way back to the service elevator only to find the door closing and both Tyrants following up behind them. They both managed to escape when Ada Wong used a computer to open the elevator doors for them, which gave them the means to barely evade their pursuers.
As they gathered themselves on the elevator, Buddy questioned Leon's motives for helping him. Leon simply told him he was not doing it for Buddy, but so that someone else could live to tell the truth of what B.O.W.s can do and how they ruin lives. The moment was broken when one of the Tyrants broke through the elevator door as the elevator began to rise. Buddy and Leon both opened fire on it before Buddy saw an opening in the elevator above and began to climb the grating to escape with Leon following. As Leon makes his way onto an access ladder, Buddy hesitated from the pain but manages to leap just as the elevator crashed, catching on to Leon's hand and grabbing onto the ladder.
On their way out of the palace, Buddy and Leon encountered another Tyrant - numbered "013" in the midst of killing a soldier. Though Buddy wanted to get involved, Leon urged him away and both ran and hid from the Tyrant. As Leon distracted the Tyrant, Buddy gathered another group of Lickers that he ordered to attack. Two of the Lickers bound the Tyrant's arms with their tongues as several others attacked. The tactic only worked briefly before the Tyrant managed to kill all but one. The surviving Licker was commanded to flee, running to a distance fuel truck with the "013" series in pursuit. The "013" series killed the Licker as it clung to the back of the fuel trick, causing the tank to rupture, giving Leon an opening to shoot the tank and cause it to explode.
Overcome with pain again, Buddy collapsed as he began coughing. When he looked up, Buddy saw the Tyrant mutating before his eyes before charging him. Leon stepped in, firing a rocket across its path as Buddy dove out of the way of the explosion. Moments later, Buddy returned the favor when he saved Leon from the attacking "013" by ramming into it with a manned APC (BMP-3). The creature's strength was enough to stop the APC, though Leon took over the turret and attempted to fire upon the Tyrant. Unable to get a shot, Buddy commanded another Licker to cover the Tyrant's face, making it unable to see and giving Leon the opening to destroy the Tyrant's head with close-range shot.
The threat seemingly destroyed, Buddy showed signs of finally starting to warm up to Leon. Leon joked about them going to grab a few beers, and Buddy remarked only if Leon was buying. The moment of relief was short-lived as the two -now mutated- Tyrants from before returned and marched towards them. Buddy asked Leon why he wouldn't just go on without him and Leon simply remarked that he enjoyed the company. Buddy, still overtaken with pain, was helped along by Leon as they ran from the Tyrants. Reaching a fountain in nearby fountain, Buddy was unable to go any further as Leon prepared to stand off against both Tyrants with only a knife. However, an air-attack from U.S. fighter planes managed to save both their lives.
As Leon watched the U.S. and Russian forces march on the Eastern Slav Republic and overthrow its current government, Buddy wondered if Leon was aware of both countries' involvement from the start. Beginning to feel more overwhelmed by how events transpired and where he was currently, Buddy became hopeless. He showed great regret at having lost his mentor, Ataman, and his friends (human rebellions). Proclaiming he had nothing more to fight for, he begged Leon to kill him before he turned into a monster. When Leon was unresponsive, Buddy drew his own pistol and placed the barrel under his chin, prepared to take his own life. Leon stepped in and took the gun away, scolding Buddy in the process. Telling Buddy that he owes it to the people who died to continue living, even if it means being paralyzed for the rest of his life, Leon shoots Buddy once.
In the aftermath of events, Buddy remained in the Eastern Slavic Republic. He watched as children ran by happily up a cobbled street as he wheeled himself along in a wheelchair, a canteen Leon gave to him still on his person. Stopping briefly, Buddy watched as children ran by on their way to the school ahead. Smiling, he continued to wheel himself uphill and towards the building, implying that he resumed his previous occupation as a teacher, memories of Ataman and JD will be remembered, 2 of the Lead Lickers (#1 and #2) were still somewhere alive (never to be seen or heard of again).