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Evelina has been an activist with Ukrainian Students for Freedom (USF) since 2024 and hails from Zaporizhzhia. She is passionate about culture, art, and people, which inspired her to choose Psychology as her field of study in 2023.
Since 2023, Evelina has been actively involved in civic life, attending training sessions and participating in youth projects. In 2024, she implemented initiatives under the UPSHIFT program and with the support of the Ukrainian-Danish Youth House. Additionally, she co-founded the initiative group “East Quest,” which focuses on promoting the culture and history of Zaporizhzhia while strengthening the local community.
Libertarianism is the freedom to think, act, and create. For USF, it is the foundation upon which we build Ukraine’s future.
Freedom is the essence of the Ukrainian nation. USF unites efforts to create a society where individuality is valued, and responsibility and change become the norm.
Daria is a USF activist. She grew up in Zaporizhzhia, where she graduated from high school. Since 2023, she has been studying at the Khortytska National Training and Rehabilitation Academy, majoring in Therapy and Rehabilitation. She joined the libertarian movement at the end of 2024, when she attended a forum from the USF and became fascinated by their ideas and values. Currently, she works at the NGO “Enlight” and is an active member of the NGO “SVOI”.
Freedom is not just a word, it is a principle that shapes my life and work. For me, freedom is the right to choose, create and change the world around me. The USF works to ensure that the youth of Ukraine realize their power and realize their potential in a free society. We believe that freedom opens the way to dignity and self-realization for everyone. It will be the basis for building a successful future for our country.
He was born in the village of Osypenko in the Azov region. He studied at the local school and was interested in a wide range of things, and had many hobbies. Therefore, it was difficult for him to choose a specific field to study. Being a victim of marketing, in 2020 he entered Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic National University for specialty 151. After that, he became lost in his preferences, desires, and visions.
The war helped him find himself. Throughout the third year, he was searching for his purpose in life. So, in the summer of 2023, he found himself in the Leadership Program, after which he joined Ukrainian Students for Freedom.
«After joining the USF, I reassessed my views on freedom as a whole. And I continue to explore it in various aspects of life, from the freedom within my mind to the freedom within my country».
Yelyzaveta is a first-year bachelor’s degree student, majoring in «Cybersecurity» at the National University «Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic». Her interest in freedom and social activism became evident during her participation in the 2023 leadership program, prompting her to join the organization. Currently, Yelyzaveta is an active member of the Zaporizhzhia facility, where she assists colleagues in organizing events aimed at promoting awareness and education on freedom and civil society. Additionally, she is involved in the development of an application aimed at improving the perception of individuals with PTSD in society.
«In the relentless pursuit of freedom, we unravel the depths of our being and discover the essence of our purpose on this earthly journey. Freedom holds immense significance, for it allows me to express my thoughts, beliefs, and aspirations without constraint, shaping my individuality and fostering growth. Moreover, within a community, freedom forms the cornerstone of a vibrant society, fostering unity, dialogue, and the exchange of diverse perspectives. It empowers us collectively, allowing us to build a world where tolerance, empathy, and progress thrive harmoniously».
Valeria is a USF activist. She was born and raised in Zaporizhzhia. There she graduated from the Small Humanitarian Academy and Music School #3. She enjoyed social activities, and volunteering, and was president of the district student government. In 2020, she entered the Alfred Nobel University, majoring in Political Science. There she was actively engaged in research and participated in competitions and conferences. She became a member of the International Association of Political Science Students (Ukraine). As part of the DRI program, she completed an internship at the Dnipro Regional State Administration. At the end of her second year, she was forced to transfer to the Law program due to the closure of her home faculty. From the beginning of the war, she joined the NGO «Everyone Can Help» (Berehove), where she coordinated volunteer activities for IDP children. In December 2022, she became a participant in the «Study Tours to Poland» project in Szczecin. Two months later, she transferred to the University of Szczecin to study Political Science. She completed an internship at the Honorary Consulate of Ukraine in Poland. She volunteers as a consultant at the Ukraine-Poland Cooperation Convention. In 2023, she joined the Ukrainian Students for Freedom after completing the Leadership Program and became an activist of the Zaporizhzhia branch.
«The USF has become a source of strength and inspiration for me to not give up, to believe, and to act. These are incredible people, who support, respect, help, and are open, and understanding. Interesting discussions, new views, fresh ideas, important topics. For me, Freedom is the ability to choose every day and the willingness to take responsibility for this choice every time. «Long live Ukraine! Long live Ukrainian nationalism in the sense in which I understand it: we cannot allow the time to come when there will be no Ukrainian word, no Ukrainian song, no Ukrainian sun, and no Ukrainian sunflower!» — Sergei Parajanov».
Ruslana is an USF activist. Since 2022, she has been studying at the Zaporizhzhya National University for a degree in International Economy. She is a member of the Erasmus Youth Mobility program. Ruslana works as a tutor of the Ukrainian language and prepares students for exams.
«Everyone has the right to free choice and acceptance. Freedom is my whole life, something I am always ready to fight for».
Elina is an USF activist. She grew up in the city of Zaporizhzhia, where she graduated from high school. Since 2021, she has been studying at the College of Economics and Law of Zaporizhzhia National University, majoring in ‘Journalism, Publishing and Editing’. She joined the libertarian movement in the summer of 2023, when she entered the ‘Leadership Program’ in August. Since winter 2023, she has been actively engaged in volunteer work. She was a volunteer at the ‘Ukrainian Volunteer Service’ NGO.
‘Freedom is our key to success, personal and national. There is nothing more important to people than freedom. In all its manifestations. Whether it is freedom of speech, action, or thought. We have fought for it before and we are fighting for it now.’
Kristina But is a journalist, the CEO of the educational project MARA, a PhD student, a fact-checker, and an activist.
She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism and is currently pursuing a PhD in Social Communications at Zaporizhzhia National University. Her dissertation research focuses on “Media Reality as a Component of Protest Movements.”
Born and raised in Melitopol, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Kristina was forced to leave her hometown due to the full-scale Russian invasion. Over a period of twenty days, she participated in protests against the occupation of her city.
In April 2023, she launched the project “MARA: A Guide to Coping with Loss”. This is a modern platform for grief processing, providing informational, emotional, and psychological support, as well as conducting research on death from cultural, historical, and psychological perspectives. The project’s target audience is active youth.
As an emerging artist, Kristina is interested in visual forms of art, particularly performance, photography, and collage. Her works have been exhibited in Ukraine and Denmark, including events such as the online exhibition “Media vs. Reality: Who Will Win” and youth festivals like Molodvizh (Lviv, Ukraine), Opinion Festival (Severodonetsk, Ukraine), and Ungdommens Folkemøde (Copenhagen, Denmark). She also secured first place in the social photo contest “My Voice Matters” in Uzhhorod, Ukraine.
Kristina has received several professional journalism awards, including first place in the Regional Fact-Checking Competition and special recognition from the editorial team of Zmina.info in the Journalism Human Rights Materials Competition.
‘Freedom is the most precious value to me. I think I truly realized its significance when occupiers tried to take it away from us. That’s when I understood that freedom isn’t something you inherently possess; it’s something you have to fight for, something you must be willing to risk for. I greatly admire how Ukrainian Students for Freedom work with young people, conveying the values of libertarianism, teaching civic activism, and instilling a profound sense of freedom.’
Artem is a USF activist. He grew up in the small town Tokmak in Zaporizhzhia region and finished school there. In 2019, he moved to Zaporizhzhia. There, from 2019 to 2021, he studied at Zaporizhzhia National University, majoring in International Relations. Due to the pandemic and disappointment with his studies at his faculty, in 2021 he changed his major to Psychology. He has always been a supporter of freedom. He fully realized that he adhered to libertarian views in 2022, after the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion. He learned about the USF by chance from an announcement on their official website. That’s how his journey with this organization began. So far, he has no regrets about his decision.
‘Freedom is not about something that is, has been, and will be. It is a constant process, a constant struggle. The USF defends the ideals of freedom because it is the only proven and reliable path to prosperity and development. We live in historic times. Who better than us to know the price of freedom? To know that history never ends. History continues. And as long as we fight for our freedom, our personal history will continue. We, the youth, are the present of this world, not the future. So this is a great responsibility that I consciously accept.’
Vladyslav was born in the Ukrainian city of Donetsk, and lived there until 2014. He moved to Zaporizhzhia and now lives here. He began to engage in public activity in 2017. With his team During his school years, he was an active leader of student self-government in the city of Zaporizhia, a participant and organizer of the All-Ukrainian and international Model UN, and also held events dedicated to the comprehensive development of our country’s youth. Vladyslav is interested in entrepreneurship and has his own mosaic business. He is also successful in his studies. He became an USF activist in 2022 after attending the incredible Leadership Program. After that, he joined “Ukrainian Students for Freedom”. Now he is an activist of this incredible organization.
‘Those who deprive others of their freedom do not deserve it themselves.’
Daniil was born in a large Ukrainian city – Donetsk, and lived there until 2014. Then he moved to Zaporizhzhia, where he still lives. He began to engage in public activity in 2017. With his team, he organized Model UN and events dedicated to the comprehensive development of our country’s youth.
Daniil is interested in psychology, and entrepreneurship. He learned about libertarianism in the summer of 2022. Passed the Leadership Program and joined “Ukrainian Students for Freedom”. Now he is an activist of this incredible organization.
“USF is networking with exceptionally educated and intelligent people who literally live in the same breath as you. As soon as you become a part of this community, you feel a strange feeling that you and the interlocutor have a unique understanding that can only be felt with close people. USF is about freedom, its people, its young strong leaders who need our state, who are united by a common idea I believe that together, as a whole, we will be able to develop our country and change it for the better.
Oleksandr is an activist of USF. Was born and grew up in Zaporizhzhia. From the very young age was interested in music, so that was the reason of getting a music degree as a fortepiano player and academic, choral and variety singer. At school, he held the title of the President of the gymnasium student council. Since 2020 he have been a cadet of Kharkiv State University of Internal Affairs. In 2021 became a head of university cadet-student self-government. Since 2022 have been the member of the commission on culture development and a deputy of the Youth Council.
When I first joined the USF team, I was amazed by the number of like-minded people in the team, where everyone, through the prism of their personality, want to give this world a piece of themselves. It is incredibly motivating to work, and besides, it gives the necessary feeling of a laid-back atmosphere. There is no such thing almost anywhere – total strangers will always come to help and support. This is the uniqueness of USF — in a team.
Anastasiia is an Activist at the USF. She was born and grew up in the city of Zaporizhzhia. From 2017 to 2020, she studied at the college, majoring in Publishing and Printing. Since 2019, she has been a member of the Charitable Foundation and held the position of graphic designer. In 2020, she participated in projects aimed at combating gender-based violence, as a graphic designer, animator and screenwriter. In 2021, she became a co-founder of the volunteer movement in the city of Zaporizhzhia, engaged in project management.
‘Freedom is given to us from birth, but to be truly independent, you need to make an effort. People in this organization know the taste and price of freedom. And the most important thing is that they are ready to help you feel it too. The path to mental freedom and physical independence can lie through many steps, failures and difficulties. But I’d rather regret what I did than what I couldn’t do when I had the chance.’
He was born in a nice place, Kherson region.
I’ve been doing sports all my life, but sometimes I spend more time sleeping. I love to lie down with “crumbs” and watch cartoons)
«USF is a big and fun family.»
Daria is a beginner activist of the USF organization. She was born in Zaporizhzhya, where she graduated the school and entered Zaporizhzhya Polytechnic National University, or ‘mashinka’ as locals say. She participated in UGRAD international student exchange program in 2020-2021. She was also engaged in several courses from Klitschko Foundation in the beginning of 2021, including the Democracy Hub/Youth Leadership course. She joined the USF after the 5th Leadership Program 2021 had been ended.
«USF is an organization that based on the principle of connection between the past, present and future. We can read it on members’ faces. This thought follows you any time you see the yellow T-shirt with the inscription ‘Free’ on it. The freedom that the SFL promotes is the free choice of how you dispose of your past and present to build the future.»
Nastya grew up in Zaporizhzhia. Since 2018 she has been studying at the Khortitsa National Academy, majoring in Special Education. In 2018, she became a member of the first Students’ Model Congress, where she learned about the libertarian movement. Nastya was guided by the principles of libertarianism as the head of the Information Sector of Student Self-Government. In 2020, she became a participant in the training camp of the Leadership Program and became an activist of the USF. Nastya is an activist and volunteer with more than four years of experience.
USF is a place where I can easily find people who share my worldview. We do different things, but we still understand each other. It is a space for self-realization without coercion.