Roma On The Frontline Calls To End Prejudice After The War

Growing up in Ukraine, Arsen Mednik often found himself singled out - at school, children would point at him, calling him "Gypsy", while employers were often reluctant to hire him when they learned he was Roma.

- Ashifa Kassam

But in early 2022, as Russian forces began their savage occupation of his home town of Bucha, Mednik was among the first Ukrainian Roma to volunteer in the defence of the country.

"My only thought was that I wanted to defend people," he said. "The Russians weren't paying attention to who was Roma or Ukrainian. They just killed everyone."

The 34-year-old is among the many Roma on the frontlines, risking their lives despite their experiences of marginalisation and wider concerns over whether they will have a place in the country when the war ends.

Exact figures of how many Roma are fighting are hard to come by, but it is estimated at a few thousand, said Stephan Müller, an adviser with the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma.

The actual number among the country's estimated 400,000 Roma could be even higher - a recent survey of 143 Roma in Ukraine by the Roma Foundation for Europe found that a quarter of respondents had relatives in the military. Of these, a third were volunteers.

It's a remarkable contribution given that Roma rank among the country's most discriminated against people, complicating their access to decent housing, jobs, healthcare and schooling.