UCU graduate Roman Lozynsky brings his strong values and sense of community to everything he does.
Roman Lozynsky was first elected to the Ukrainian Parliament in 2019. He had been working hard in local Lviv politics for several years beforehand, slowly learning and absorbing all he could and letting his values lead him. He believed from the beginning, and still believes now, that if you want to make a change anywhere, you must join a team.
His values were formed early, as a member of the Plast Ukrainian Scouting Organization in Ukraine and later at Ukrainian Catholic University. “I realized that if you want to make different changes in your society, in your community, even near your street or apartment building, you have to join some group of people who also have the same goals, the same ideology, and together you can act.”
So, in 2015, when he was 20 years old, he ran for local elections in his home city of Lviv. He did not win.
Undaunted, he became an assistant member in the local government, doing what he could to help his colleagues in the Lviv City Council. He continued working and learning, getting his master’s in Public Administration at Ukrainian Catholic University. He persevered in political life and in 2019 was elected to the Parliament of Ukraine.
Communication is Key
Roman learned that there will always be differences to be accommodated or reconciled, even among like-minded people. As his career took him to the bigger field of national politics, he realized the pivotal role communication plays in success. “It’s really important to create some space for feedback and even for arguments in your political party. Sometimes, a lack of this communication provides huge potential conflicts, and then, unfortunately, you will become weaker. This is true during all times, not just in wartime as we have now. In some ways, it is a bit easier during wartime, because your enemy is outside and very clear.”
Serving on the Frontlines
In March of 2022, following the full-scale Russian invasion, Roman went to meet that enemy. He took a leave from Parliament for a year and a half to join the Ukrainian Armed Forces. “On the frontlines, we see things in black and white. But in politics, there are many gray areas.” Returning to politics after his time on the front, he acknowledges that finding compromises could be very difficult. “When you meet people in Parliament with different values and different interests, you have to find cooperation with them, even though you may realize that some of them don’t care about the same things that you do. Nevertheless, we have to find different solutions for our country.”
Current Priorities for Ukraine’s Parliament
Right now, Parliament’s highest priorities are to increase the capacity of the military, help veterans, and help families who are close to the frontlines. On a recent visit to the U.S., Roman and a delegation from the Ukrainian Parliament met with U.S. congressmen and various committees to find bipartisan support on several pressing issues.
Weapons: “Our first priority is to continue collaborating with our partners on our air defense system. Ukraine has received F16s, which we truly appreciate, but we are not able to stop Russia’s aircraft and air-guided bombs, which are destroying our cities every day.”
Sanctions: “The sanctions are in effect for about 40 banks, but there are at least 100 other banks in Russia, and the government can route money any way it wants to with a simple phone call. Unfortunately, right now, sanctions are simply not working.”
Frozen Assets:“There are approximately $3 billion of frozen assets in the EU. We addressed this with the U.S. because the U.S. has a huge influence on its EU partners. How can we work together to use the assets to help our capacity on the frontlines or for rebuilding? How can we use these assets to make Russia pay?”
The “Soft War” – Russian Efforts to Erase Ukraine’s History and Culture
Roman is Chairman of the Subcommittee on Decolonization, and stresses how important it is to cleanse Ukraine of all Russian influence in the culture. “The war did not start in 2022, it began 11 years ago, and Russia has been infiltrating our society through different movies, programs and books with Russian propaganda. We must push Russia out of Ukraine in the spheres of media, education, and history.”
A United Ukraine
Russian propaganda is about dividing people, so Roman believes that the most important thing for Ukrainians now is to be united. Ukraine is fighting not just for its territories, but for its values – the same values of freedom and education that the West treasures. And they are fighting to show the whole world that the brutal invasion of another country is an act that will not go unanswered.
The Values Taken From UCU
Roman is now an occasional guest lecturer at UCU. He is impressed by the passion and persistence of the students. After meeting him, the students ask him questions and then follow him on social media with more questions or to share their ideas or concerns. He notes, “You can see the difference in the students here, from other universities, and feel their motivation.”
“When I was studying at UCU, we talked about how to do things, what tools you can use to succeed. But we also talked a lot about values. What price are you ready to pay for something? Every day, you make decisions, sometimes for yourself, or your community, or your country. Then you try to find the values to guide you. This is something I learned at UCU – to stay around people who are passionate. If we have the right people around us who reinforce what we really believe, it means a lot. We can handle our challenges and keep going.”
