Razom Advocacy is a branch of Razom for Ukraine committed to advancing policy for Ukrainian victory, and to nurturing community engagement across the United States and Ukraine. We work together with experts, policy-makers, and constituents to help build a more democratic and prosperous Ukraine.
If you have questions, ideas, interest in collaborations, or are a member of the press seeking information, contact us at advocacystaff@razomforukraine.org. Keep up with the latest from Razom Advocacy on Twitter.
Government Affairs
We work within Congress, the executive branch and other halls of power to advance policy to strengthen Ukraine, ensure its victory, and bring Ukrainian-American voices to the forefront of the policy discussion.
Community Engagement
We coordinate a coalition of diverse grassroots organizations supporting Ukraine across America, and activate constituents that support Ukraine to take action and contact their representatives.
Advocacy Communications
We help tell Razom Advocacy’s story on social media and in the press. We advance Ukrainian-American voices, promote pro-Ukraine policy, and use our platforms to connect experts, supporters, and changemakers.
Expedited
Military Aid
Asset Mobilization & Sanctions
Russian state and private assets must be mobilized alongside our G7 partners to help Ukraine win and rebuild, while sanctions must be strengthened further to decrease Russia’s capacity to make war and commit atrocities
Terrorist Designations & Genocide
The U.S. must designate Russia as a State Sponsor of Terrorism and Russian military divisions and Russia-affiliated groups perpetrating terrorist acts, such as Wagner, as Foreign Terrorist Organizations. Russian actions in Ukraine must be formally recognized as genocide.
NATO & Security Guarantees
Security guarantees for Ukraine ensures a peaceful future for Europe and the United States. Providing a meaningful pathway to integrate Ukraine into NATO will incentivize private investment for reconstruction while also providing stability and assurance for the transatlantic community.
Continued
Oversight
Since the full-scale invasion, Congress and the Executive Branch put in place extensive and effective oversight mechanisms. Continued oversight, alongside future funding, is important to maintain confidence in the effectiveness of international assistance to Ukraine.
Returning Deported Children
The barbaric war crime of the forced deportation of children from Ukraine needs to be highlighted and condemned by the U.S. Congress. The forcible deportation of Ukrainians to the occupied territories or to Russia is a violation of the UN Genocide Convention and part of Russia’s efforts to destroy the people and culture of Ukraine.
We’re working to make sure that Ukraine will receive an invitation to NATO at the 2024 NATO Summit – learn more.
As a founding member of the American Coalition for Ukraine, Razom Advocacy helps organize the Ukraine Action Summit in Washington DC.
This three day event, consisting of Congressional meetings and informative advocacy programming, brings together hundreds of advocates from across the United States to speak to their elected officials about the importance of Ukrainian Victory.
Our previous Ukraine Action Summits have taken place September 2022 and April 2023. Visit the American Coalition for Ukraine’s website and follow the Coalition on Facebook to find information about upcoming Summits!
Mariya Soroka is Vice President of Advocacy for Razom. In 2014 at the peak of protests in the Maidan, Mariya joined several fellow Ukrainians living in New York City to create Razom, a young, energetic, and progressive start-up which seeks to amplify the voice of Ukraine to an American audience. An active member of the board, she has been long responsible for organizing cultural events as well as cooperating with government representatives, activists, and various civic groups and human rights organizations in support of Ukraine’s quest for democracy. Currently, Mariya is the lead of the Co-Pilot Project, which aims to raise the bar of neurosurgical training in Ukraine. Mariya is also heavily involved with fundraising for Razom’s projects via crowdsourcing, charity events, and online petitions. After graduating from Penn State University with a BA in Advertising and Public Relations and a dual minor in Entrepreneurship and International Studies, Mariya spent several years in Manhattan working within the content marketing industry. She believes in the enormous potential of dedicated volunteers around the world working to rebuild Ukraine one project at a time.
Mykola Murskyj is Director of Government Affairs on Razom’s Advocacy Team. Before coming to Razom, Mykola was an International Affairs Specialist at the Department of Justice Criminal Division and a program analyst at the U.S. Secret Service. Previously, Mykola was a Managing Editor of the Harvard Kennedy School Review and a U.S. Presidential Management Fellow. He was also a lecturer at the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv, Ukraine, in the Program on Ethics, Politics, and Economics. He holds degrees in physics from MIT and the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, and in international affairs from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Mykola also serves as Archivist for the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus.
Scott Cullinane is Senior Government Affairs Advisor on Razom’s Advocacy Team. Prior to this, he served in various positions with the House Foreign Affairs Committee, including as Professional Staff Member for the Europe Subcommittee, where he was responsible for a jurisdiction including the European Union, Russia, Ukraine, and Central Asia. Scott is currently a Fellow at the National Security Institute, part of George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School. Scott was the recipient of the 2021 Helmut Schmidt Fellowship hosted by the German Marshall Fund in Berlin, Germany.
Greg Kulchyckyj is the Associate Director of Government Affairs and Strategy on Razom’s Advocacy Team. Before joining Razom, he co-founded TableTab, where he currently remains a Board Member. Greg has worked at TD Bank, the German Marshall Fund of the United States, the U.S. House of Representatives, the National Peace Corps Association, and the US-Ukraine Business Council. Greg is a second-generation Ukrainian-American and grew up in Ukraine and Germany between 2002-2015. He holds BAs in International Relations and Economics from Tufts University.
Doug Klain is a Policy Analyst on Razom’s Advocacy Team. Before joining Razom, he worked as Assistant Director at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, where he currently remains a Nonresident Fellow. He holds an MA in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Melinda Haring is the Senior Community Engagement Advisor on Razom’s Advocacy Team, and a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center. Previously, she was the deputy director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center and editor of the Atlantic Council’s popular publication, the UkraineAlert blog. She is the author of the report Reforming the democracy bureaucracy (FPRI, 2013) coauthor of Biden and Ukraine: a strategy for the next administration (Atlantic Council, 2021), Biden and Belarus: a strategy for the next administration (Atlantic Council, 2021), Ukraine’s internally displaced persons hold a key to peace (Atlantic Council, 2017), and a contributor to Does democracy matter? (Rowman & Littlefield, 2017). Haring has worked for Superhumans Center, Eurasia Foundation, Freedom House, and the National Democratic Institute, where she managed democracy assistance programs in Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Russia. A graduate of Georgetown University, she holds an MA in Government with a certificate in Russian, Eurasian, and East European Studies. Haring is chair of the board of East Europe Foundation in Kyiv, Ukraine, and a member of the supervisory board of Right to Protection in Kyiv, Ukraine. She tweets @melindaharing.
Orest Mahlay is the Associate Director of Community Engagement on Razom’s Advocacy Team. He graduated from Georgetown University studying political economics and researching the impact of the Russian language on contemporary Ukraine. He has also worked with the Wilson Center, the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, and the Ukrainian Museum-Archives in Cleveland.
Yuliya Ziskina is the Legal Advisor on Razom’s Advocacy Team. A public policy and intellectual property lawyer focused on international law, open access information policy, and ethics, she was previously a Fellow at the World Bank Integrity Vice Presidency and the U.S. Department of Justice, where her legal work consisted of investigating and prosecuting international financial crime. She is also former Enforcement Counsel at the New York City Conflicts of Interest Board, where she prosecuted violations of New York City’s anti-corruption laws. Yuliya has authored briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court, DC Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Southern District of New York. Her work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Law, Ars Technica, and Wired. She holds a JD from the University of Washington, where she led a successful campaign for a campus-wide open access to research policy.
Yaroslav Ponomarov is the Grassroots Advocacy Manager on Razom’s Advocacy Team. He was born in Bila Tserkva, Ukraine and raised in Brooklyn New York. Previously, he was was a prolific organizer of rallies, marches, protests and other events in New York City advocating for Ukraine. This allowed him to build close connections with various local communities and grassroots advocates.
Nana Gongadze is the Head of Advocacy Communications on Razom’s Advocacy Team. Previously, she worked in communications in the nonprofit, museum, and media industries, such as at Axios, the Smithsonian Institution, and the National Museum of Women in the Arts. She is originally from Kyiv, Ukraine and grew up in the Washington D.C. area, where she attended American University and studied public relations and art history.
Katya Pavlevych is an Advocacy Communications Team Member on Razom’s Advocacy Team. She is a communications specialist with a background in tech industries and cultural projects. Since the full-scale invasion, she has been helping NGOs and volunteer organizations with communications, media relations and social media campaigns. She is an advocate focused on the issue of illegal deportation and forcible transfer of Ukrainians by Russia. Katya graduated from the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Institute of International Relations.
Razom Advocacy has released the results of a poll measuring Americans’
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We accept donations by wire transfer and check. We also accept cryptocurrency donations. All details are on our DONATE page.
You can mail a check to 140 2nd. Ave., Suite 305, New York, NY, 10003
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In 2018 we’re planning to cover expenses for 30 teams (6 people per team) at Oblast STEM competitions.
Total Budget is $4500
Director, writer and cinematographer with three completed award-winning shorts as well as a feature documentary in post-production. After starting his filmmaker career at 2009, Ruslan brings his skills in project management, process analysis and systems models (received during obtaining MA in cybernetics 2003-2008) and applies them to the creative thinking and artistic thought-processes of film. He also holds BA in Film and Television directing (from the Kyiv National University of theatre, cinema and television by Karpenko-Karyi).
“A chance to participate in The Co-Pilot project it’s an amazing opportunity to help others and to tell the story that will engage and inspire people around the world”
We are gearing up for our 2017 Mission trip. It’ll be a 3-month adventure during which we plan to work with neurosurgeons from several centers from all around the country. Dr.Tomycz has also been invited to deliver an address at the annual Ukrainian Neurosurgery Conference 2017 in Kharkiv.
May 20: arrive in Kyiv, Ukraine
May 22-26: meet with area surgeons at participating centers
May 29- June 9: two week master class with Igor Kurilets MD at the International Neurosurgery Center
June 12-13: Visit to Medical Institute of Sumy State University
June 14-16: Ukrainian Neurosurgery Conference 2017 in Kharkiv
June 19-23: one week course and master class operating in complex spine and craniocervical with Ukrainian spinal surgeons and trainees from Romadanov Institute and International Neurosurgery Center
June 24-July 7: Come back to United States for two weeks
July 10-21: two week master class with Dr. Schlegov at the Neurovascular Institute
July 24-August 4: two week master class in pediatric neurosurgery with surgeons at Lviv Children’s Hospital
August 5-18: travel to out-lying centers of excellence (Stryii, Ivano-Frankivsk, Odesa)
August 21-31: operate with surgeons at Central Military Hospital and International Neurosurgery Center in Kyiv
September 15: leave Ukraine for United States
The best way to train surgeons is by providing hands-on mentorship and assistance in the operating room. One of the primary goals of the Co-Pilot Project is the continued recruitment of high quality surgeons from United States and Canada to spend time with Ukrainian counterparts, consulting on patients and performing procedures.
Surgical Mentors traveling to Ukraine
Not all of the healthcare volunteers will be able to travel to Ukraine but they still will play an important role from home. Utilizing contemporary technology, including live streaming of surgeries and communication via social media the medical support staff will advice and mentor Ukrainian neurosurgeons as they confront difficult cases.
Medical Support Staff
Advisory Staff
Since our exploratory trip in 2016 we have identified a cohort of motivated and talented surgeons who are hungry for additional instruction and eager for collaboration.
Dr. Luke Tomycz is the newest addition to the pediatric neurosurgical team at Dell Children’s Medical Center. Dr. Tomycz finished first in his high school class of over 200 students and attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, MA where he double-majored in biology and chemical engineering. He accepted the prestigious Dean’s Full-Tuition Scholarship to attend medical school at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor where he first developed an interest in neurosurgery. After medical school, he began his formal neurosurgical training at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN where he trained under the late Noel Tulipan, MD, a pioneer in fetal neurosurgery for myelomeningocele. During his seven-year residency, he spent two years obtaining an in-folded fellowship in endovascular surgery, becoming proficient in the treatment of aneurysms, AVMs, Moya-Moya syndrome, and complex dural AV fistulae of adults and children. After this, Dr. Tomycz spent an additional year at Seattle Children’s Hospital performing a large volume of complex epilepsy surgery with Jeff Ojemann, MD. Following an exhaustive job search, Dr.Tomycz was attracted to Austin as the city was in the process of launching a new medical school at the University of Texas.
Dr. Tomycz specializes in all aspects of pediatric neurosurgery including brain tumors, epilepsy, Chiari malformation, tethered cord syndrome, CSF shunting, and intracranial endoscopy. As one of the only dual-trained, pediatric and endovascular neurosurgeons in the country, he is particularly interested in Moya-Moya, brain aneurysms and AVMs, arteriovenous fistulae, and other complex neurovascular disorders in children as well as adults. His research interests include the use of engineering innovations to improve treatments for hydrocephalus and he has published on a wide variety of neurosurgical topics. Outside the operating room, Dr. Tomycz enjoys playing guitar and hiking in the mountains. He has travelled extensively to perform neurosurgery and take part in short-term medical mission work – in Cuba, Kenya, Honduras, Ecuador, and Ukraine.
Dr. Tomycz grew up with four grandparents who told stories of their youth and taught their grandchildren the language of their homeland – Ukraine. His parents were both born in refugee camps following the second world war, and came to this country in the early 1950s with virtually nothing. His father excelled in academics and went into medicine, and both Luke and his brother Nestor followed suit, pursuing a career in neurosurgery. During a long period of study and training that lasted more than 15 years, Luke resolved to return to the homeland of his grandparents and provide the kind of high quality care that children receive in the United States.
In 2014 at the peak of protests in the Maidan, Mariya joined several fellow Ukrainians living in New York City to create Razom, a young, energetic, and progressive start-up which seeks to amplify the voice of Ukraine to an American audience. An active member of the board, she is responsible for organizing cultural events as well as cooperating with government representatives, activists, and various civic groups and human rights organizations in support of Ukraine’s quest for democracy.
CPP info
Mariya is also heavily involved with fundraising for Razom’s projects via crowdsourcing, charity events, and online petitions. After graduating from Penn State University with a BA in Advertising and Public Relations and a dual minor in Entrepreneurship and International Studies, Mariya spent over 5 years in Manhattan working within the content marketing industry. She believes in the enormous potential of dedicated volunteers around the world working to rebuild Ukraine one project at a time.
Mariana Magala was born in Lviv, Ukraine. She graduated from The University of Chicago in 2013 and holds a B.A. in Economics and Slavic Languages and Literature. Currently, Mariana is a Strategic Analytics Manager at Interline Brands (subsidiary of The Home Depot) in Jacksonville, Florida. She specializes in analytics, business strategy, and nonprofit development. Mariana was the co-chair of a pro-bono consulting group for nonprofits in Chicago for 3 years and is currently the treasurer for a young professionals group at MOSH (Museum of Science and History in Jacksonville).
Mariana joined Razom’s Neurosurgical initiative in 2016. She is very excited to collaborate with the team and develop the initiative into a highly successful program.