{"id":35946,"date":"2025-06-13T11:33:41","date_gmt":"2025-06-13T08:33:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/?p=35946"},"modified":"2025-06-16T11:45:37","modified_gmt":"2025-06-16T08:45:37","slug":"rocit-ukrainian-roma-on-the-frontline-a-voice-of-resistance-in-brussels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/en\/news\/publications-about-us\/rocit-ukrainian-roma-on-the-frontline-a-voice-of-resistance-in-brussels\/","title":{"rendered":"ROCIT: Ukrainian Roma on the Frontline: A Voice of Resistance in Brussels"},"content":{"rendered":"

ROCIT:<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

On April 29, 2025, a public discussion took place in Brussels, dedicated to the participation of Roma citizens in resisting Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine. The event was organized by the Anti-Discrimination Centre \u201cMemorial\u201d in cooperation with the Ukrainian Centre for Roma Studies at Kherson State University and with the support of the International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR). The goal was both simple and painfully relevant: to bring to European politicians, human rights defenders, and journalists the living testimonies of Roma\u2014Ukrainian Roma who are not only victims of war but who have taken up arms to defend their loved ones. At the heart of the discussion were two veterans of the Ukrainian Armed Forces: Arsen Mednyk, known by the call sign \u201cBaron,\u201d a senior rifleman and squad commander in the 46th Air Assault Brigade, and Oleksii Panchenko, a driver and radio operator in the 39th Separate Rifle Battalion.<\/p>\n

At the start of the event, Arsen recounted how he decided to defend his hometown. He first joined the territorial defense and later became part of the assault forces. Oleksii\u2014a more reserved and older man\u2014spoke about daily life during the war: the lack of sleep, living conditions in dugouts, and what it means to be a Romani soldier among non-Roma comrades.<\/p>\n

The event also featured a clip from the documentary film \u201cThe War Made Me Who I Am,\u201d produced by Suspilne. The main character is Arsen Mednyk. The film captures not only scenes from the frontlines but also the transformation of a young man who, just three years ago, was an ordinary guy\u2014and has now become a national hero. Joining the discussion was Janush Panchenko, a researcher at the Institute of Ethnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences. A Romani man himself from Kherson region, he was forced to flee his hometown of Kakhovka after the occupation. In his speech, Janush spoke about abductions and attacks on Roma in temporarily occupied territories.<\/p>\n

A separate part of the event was devoted to the systemic work of documenting war crimes and the human rights activities of the Anti-Discrimination Centre \u201cMemorial.\u201d The organization\u2019s head, Stefania Kulaeva, presented a number of initiatives\u2014from the animated film \u201cThe Journey of Chavoro from Mariupol\u201d to analytical reports like \u201cA Year of War and Displacement,\u201d \u201cRoma of Ukraine: Voices from the Hell of War,\u201d the photo essay \u201cToday, It Seems, There Is No Shelling,\u201d and the long-running project \u201cRoma and War,\u201d launched back in 2015.<\/p>\n

This evening in Brussels was more than just a conversation\u2014it was the voice of heroes. It was recognition that Roma are an inseparable part of Ukrainian society\u2014a people fighting both for their country\u2019s freedom and for their rightful place within it.<\/p>\n

\u201cRomani soldiers have sacrificed their health in this war, even though their families, mothers, and children are waiting for them at home. Many have given their lives. Roma fighters have already done enough\u2014and even more. And our role, the role of civil society, is to make sure that their heroism is heard and known by as many people as possible\u201d Janush Panchenko concluded. These were the words that stayed with everyone who was in the room that evening.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ROCIT: On April 29, 2025, a public discussion took place in Brussels, dedicated to the participation of Roma citizens in resisting Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine. The event was organized by the Anti-Discrimination Centre \u201cMemorial\u201d in cooperation with the Ukrainian Centre…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":35947,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[107],"tags":[160],"strategy_cases":[],"campaign":[],"archive":[],"filter-content":[],"regions":[],"class_list":["post-35946","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-publications-about-us","tag-roma-rights-en"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"featured_image_urls_v2":{"full":["https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/screenshot-2025-06-16-at-10-43-32-ukrainian-roma-on-the-frontline-a-voice-of-resistance-in-brussels-\u2013-rocit.png",796,544,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/screenshot-2025-06-16-at-10-43-32-ukrainian-roma-on-the-frontline-a-voice-of-resistance-in-brussels-\u2013-rocit-125x125.png",125,125,true],"medium":["https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/screenshot-2025-06-16-at-10-43-32-ukrainian-roma-on-the-frontline-a-voice-of-resistance-in-brussels-\u2013-rocit-300x205.png",300,205,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/screenshot-2025-06-16-at-10-43-32-ukrainian-roma-on-the-frontline-a-voice-of-resistance-in-brussels-\u2013-rocit-768x525.png",640,438,true],"large":["https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/screenshot-2025-06-16-at-10-43-32-ukrainian-roma-on-the-frontline-a-voice-of-resistance-in-brussels-\u2013-rocit-650x444.png",640,437,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/screenshot-2025-06-16-at-10-43-32-ukrainian-roma-on-the-frontline-a-voice-of-resistance-in-brussels-\u2013-rocit.png",796,544,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/screenshot-2025-06-16-at-10-43-32-ukrainian-roma-on-the-frontline-a-voice-of-resistance-in-brussels-\u2013-rocit.png",796,544,false],"pub-thumb":["https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/screenshot-2025-06-16-at-10-43-32-ukrainian-roma-on-the-frontline-a-voice-of-resistance-in-brussels-\u2013-rocit-220x150.png",220,150,true],"post-thumb":["https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/screenshot-2025-06-16-at-10-43-32-ukrainian-roma-on-the-frontline-a-voice-of-resistance-in-brussels-\u2013-rocit-170x170.png",170,170,true],"wcicon":["https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/screenshot-2025-06-16-at-10-43-32-ukrainian-roma-on-the-frontline-a-voice-of-resistance-in-brussels-\u2013-rocit.png",48,33,false],"wcsquare":["https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/screenshot-2025-06-16-at-10-43-32-ukrainian-roma-on-the-frontline-a-voice-of-resistance-in-brussels-\u2013-rocit.png",300,205,false],"wcsmall":["https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/screenshot-2025-06-16-at-10-43-32-ukrainian-roma-on-the-frontline-a-voice-of-resistance-in-brussels-\u2013-rocit.png",250,171,false],"wcstandard":["https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/screenshot-2025-06-16-at-10-43-32-ukrainian-roma-on-the-frontline-a-voice-of-resistance-in-brussels-\u2013-rocit.png",550,376,false],"wcbig":["https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/screenshot-2025-06-16-at-10-43-32-ukrainian-roma-on-the-frontline-a-voice-of-resistance-in-brussels-\u2013-rocit.png",796,544,false],"wcfixedheightsmall":["https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/screenshot-2025-06-16-at-10-43-32-ukrainian-roma-on-the-frontline-a-voice-of-resistance-in-brussels-\u2013-rocit.png",263,180,false],"wcfixedheightmedium":["https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/screenshot-2025-06-16-at-10-43-32-ukrainian-roma-on-the-frontline-a-voice-of-resistance-in-brussels-\u2013-rocit.png",439,300,false],"wcfixedheight":["https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/screenshot-2025-06-16-at-10-43-32-ukrainian-roma-on-the-frontline-a-voice-of-resistance-in-brussels-\u2013-rocit.png",732,500,false],"wccarouselsmall":["https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/screenshot-2025-06-16-at-10-43-32-ukrainian-roma-on-the-frontline-a-voice-of-resistance-in-brussels-\u2013-rocit.png",210,144,false],"wccarousel":["https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/screenshot-2025-06-16-at-10-43-32-ukrainian-roma-on-the-frontline-a-voice-of-resistance-in-brussels-\u2013-rocit.png",400,273,false],"wcslider":["https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/screenshot-2025-06-16-at-10-43-32-ukrainian-roma-on-the-frontline-a-voice-of-resistance-in-brussels-\u2013-rocit.png",732,500,false]},"post_excerpt_stackable_v2":"

ROCIT: On April 29, 2025, a public discussion took place in Brussels, dedicated to the participation of Roma citizens in resisting Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine. The event was organized by the Anti-Discrimination Centre \u201cMemorial\u201d in cooperation with the Ukrainian Centre for Roma Studies at Kherson State University and with the support of the International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR). The goal was both simple and painfully relevant: to bring to European politicians, human rights defenders, and journalists the living testimonies of Roma\u2014Ukrainian Roma who are not only victims of war but who have taken up arms to defend their loved…<\/p>\n","category_list_v2":"Publication about us<\/a>","author_info_v2":{"name":"admin3","url":"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/en\/author\/admin3\/"},"comments_num_v2":"0 comments","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35946","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35946"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35946\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35950,"href":"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35946\/revisions\/35950"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35947"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35946"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35946"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35946"},{"taxonomy":"strategy_cases","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/strategy_cases?post=35946"},{"taxonomy":"campaign","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campaign?post=35946"},{"taxonomy":"archive","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/archive?post=35946"},{"taxonomy":"filter-content","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/filter-content?post=35946"},{"taxonomy":"regions","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adcmemorial.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/regions?post=35946"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}