Yevhen Vasylovych Karas is a Ukrainian nationalist public figure and activist, and a participant in the Russian-Ukrainian war.
Place of Birth, Education
He was born on November 14, 1987, in Kyiv.
From 1994 to 2001, he attended Kyiv Secondary School No. 284, and from 2001 to 2005, he attended the Dnipro Technical Lyceum in Kyiv.
In 2011, he graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv with a master’s degree in philosophy.
After completing his studies that same year, he enrolled in the graduate program at the National Institute for Strategic Studies, majoring in “national security.”
Career
Since 2008, he has been actively involved in civic movements: he served as coordinator of the “Save Old Kyiv” movement and represented the public at roundtable discussions on urban planning issues organized by the Ministry of Regional Development, Construction, and Housing and Communal Services of Ukraine. That same year, he joined protests against the development of Stus Square and the redevelopment of the Gostiny Dvor.
During the regime of fugitive President Viktor Yanukovych, a criminal case was opened against Karas for allegedly organizing riots at a construction site, and he was placed on the wanted list.
From 2010 to 2014, Karas was a member of the All-Ukrainian Union (AU) “Svoboda” and headed the Control and Audit Commission of the Kyiv City Organization. He also served as an aide to People’s Deputy Andriy Illenko starting in 2012.
Euromaidan
He joined the protests during the Revolution of Dignity. On December 1, 2013, while clashes were ongoing on Bankova Street, he was among the coordinators who led the seizure of the Kyiv City State Administration (KCSA) building and the Trade Union House by Maidan protesters.
He was later appointed commandant of the seized Kyiv City State Administration building. In particular, he led the Prince Sviatoslav the Brave Self-Defense Unit.
Since 2014, he has been a co-founder of the nongovernmental organization (NGO) “Never Again,” which has focused on issues of vetting and monitoring the unlawful activities of officials during the Yanukovych regime.
The Russian-Ukrainian War
At the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war, Karas joined the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) battalion “Kyiv-2.” He served at a checkpoint near Volnovakha and worked to identify collaborators with pro-Russian groups.
He later transferred to the “Harpun” battalion. During his service, he carried out missions in the areas of Avdiivka, Stanytsia Luhanska, Volnovakha, and Maiorsk.
In 2016, he co-founded the NGO “National Center for Human Rights Protection,” which, among other things, conducts inspections of correctional facilities throughout Ukraine. In particular, he headed the “Union of Veterans of the War with Russia,” which works to establish systematic cooperation among veterans of the Russian-Ukrainian war.
Karas also founded the “Educational Assembly,” an educational and outreach initiative.
From 2016 to 2018, he conducted seminars and camps on national and patriotic education in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth and Sports in Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Zhytomyr. In particular, he gave lectures at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and the Ivan Bohun Kyiv Military Lyceum, and organized a seminar on modern technologies called “Smart-techno” in Kyiv.
He served as an unpaid assistant to People’s Deputy Igor Guz.
He was a member of the Public Council of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs and the Public Oversight Council of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU).
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine
After the full-scale invasion began, Karas took part in combat operations. From 2023 to 2024, he served as deputy commander of the 14th Separate UAV Regiment, responsible for morale and psychological support.
He is currently the commander of the 413th “Raid” Independent Unmanned Systems Battalion.
