Arsen Mednyk: “I destroyed a number of stereotypes about Roma in the army”

Russia's war against Ukraine

Today’s guest of our podcast, «Ai Tu Zhianes. Did you know that?», is Arsen Mednyk, a Roma veteran of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. For over two and a half years, he has been defending Ukraine and has been seriously wounded. Recently, he has spoken to the European audience for the first time in Berlin. The speech by Arsen Mednyk—who comes from Bucha in Kyiv Province—was attended by politicians, volunteers, and activists during a major European event, the CAFE KYIV 2025 conference. 

The veteran recounted how Russia’s full-scale invasion into Ukraine began; how he volunteered to enlist in the Ukrainian Armed Forces and what the common perception of his Roma origin was initially—and how the stereotypes with regard to Roma people were eventually dismantled. Arsen was the senior rifleman of the 46th Separate Air Assault Brigade; he was also acting commander of his detachment, call sign Baron. Today, he considers it to be his duty to tell the world about the Russian-Ukrainian war and why should one get rid of stereotypes about the Roma community. He asserts that there is over a thousand of Roma people defending Ukraine today and that is crucially important that their contribution be recognised and valued. This is what Arsen Mednyk told Svitlana Mialyk in his interview. 

«I volunteered to enlist to defend Ukraine. Initially, people were skeptical about me as they just could not understand how come a Roma guy found himself in the army. Over time, however, my comrades in arms got accustomed and were quite satisfied with me. More than that, they were perhaps more sympathetic to me, a Roma guy, than they were to their own folks. And that is how they treated me: with respect. I am actually not the only Roma guy who has been or currently is in the army. There is plenty of us there»  

«Stereotypes constrain people immensely. People fail to understand whom they are addressing, what kind of a person is that, and due to stereotypes, they may just disrespect that person or treat him or her with skepticism. Me, however, I have managed to dismantle a lot of such stereotypes and prejudices towards the Roma people. Once upon a time I managed to stop twelve people who were up to no good, and that changed their perception of me and their outlook, too. Roma people may be smart, competent, able to take responsible action» 

«I know that one can lose someone very quickly—one moment you are next to him or her, and the next moment he or she is gone. Human life is of great value. Unfortunately, not everyone understands this» (on loss of comrades in the frontline)

«Back in the frontline, music was what was healing me. I used to listen to the music a lot, especially wearing earphones. I used to sing and dance as well. I just love to sing»  

«I would love people to see that we, veterans, are able to live with dignity. That we are able to do good for this world, for our country, for our land» 

You can listen to the full version of this podcast by opening the audio file attached.