Illya Koval is an activist of the USS. He was born and raised in the city of Mykolaiv, Mykolaiv region. After graduating from the Mykolaiv Gymnasium No. 3 in 2019, he entered the history faculty of Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University for the educational program World Ukrainianism in the Progress of Civilization. Ilya is already in the 4th year of his bachelor’s degree. In the same year 2019, he joined the ranks of the NGO Liberal Democratic League of Ukraine, and in 2022 he became an activist for the Ukrainian Students for Freedom. He also takes an active part in the cultural work of his faculty: he played in the KVK and the Liga Smihu, participates in the Historical Debate League and as a volunteer helps the “Night at the University” project. Regularly he participates in scientific conferences.

‘Freedom is an idea for which people have died with honor throughout human history. This is our basic need and the main dream of generations of fighters against totalitarian regimes of the last two centuries. Because of such a great price of freedom for the individual, I consider freedom, first of all, a responsibility. Responsibility to ancestors, society and oneself. Since a free man cannot blame anyone but himself for his defeats, freedom gives him all the opportunities to achieve success, just as a free man is responsible to his society for the choice of power, and he has to prove to his ancestors with his free life that their struggle for free was not in vain. That’s why I’m proud of my freedom and ready to fight for it, that’s why I joined the USF – a community of fighters of free people who value freedom most of all.’