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Melania Parzonka

Strona główna Team Melania Parzonka
Melania Parzonka

Melania Parzonka

Chief Specialist for European Security – Deputy Head of the Security and Defense Innovation Center

Biography

She holds an MSc in History of International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), and a BSc in Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience from Goldsmiths, University of London. In 2025, she also completed the Ukrainian for Reading Knowledge course at Harvard University.

She specialises in European security and Eastern policy, with a particular focus on Ukraine and Moldova. Before joining Łukasiewicz – ITECH, Melania worked as an analyst covering EU foreign and security policy at the Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM). From 2022 to 2025, she coordinated the Russia–Eurasia Programme and Ukraine Forum at Chatham House, a London-based think tank. She also completed a Blue Book traineeship at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DG DEFIS) and worked at LSE IDEAS.

She speaks English, Russian and Ukrainian.

Publications:

  1. Parzonka, M. (2026). Anchoring Militarized Ukraine in the European Order: A Case for a Clear Post-War Path to EU Accession. Policy Paper. Łukasiewicz – ITECH. https://itech.lukasiewicz.gov.pl/en/publikacje/new-lukasiewicz-itech-policy-paper-how-can-post-war-ukraine-be-permanently-integrated-into-the-european-order/
  2. Parzonka, M. (2026). Failure is not an option: the EU’s essential role in securing Ukraine’s future. European Policy Institute in Kyiv (EPIK). https://epik.eu/publication/securing-ukraine/
  3. Parzonka, M. (2026). Handbook on Countering Transnational Repression. Practical Guide for Democratic States to Protect Exiled Dissidents and Diasporas. Community of Democracies. https://community-democracies.org/docs/handbook-on-countering-transnational-repression/
  4. Parzonka, M. (2026). Challenges to defence cooperation between the EU and the United Kingdom. PISM Bulletin, no. 35 (2667), 11 June 2026. Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM). https://www.pism.pl/publications/challenges-to-defence-cooperation-between-the-eu-and-the-united-kingdom
  5. Parzonka, M. (2026). The question of long-term EU support to Ukraine. PISM Bulletin, no. 20 (2652), 18 March 2026. Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM). https://www.pism.pl/publications/the-question-of-long-term-eu-support-to-ukraine
  6. Parzonka, M. (2025). Moldovans head to the polls in a political minefield. Platform RAAM. https://platformraam.nl/artikelen/2894-moldovans-head-to-the-polls-in-a-political-minefield
  7. Parzonka, M. (2025). What Europe can gain from Ukrainian arms exports. POLITICO Europe. https://www.politico.eu/article/europe-war-ukraine-arms-exports-defense-industry-cooperation/
  8. Parzonka, M. (2025). How is Russia benefiting from Moldova’s ‘loss’ of the US? Platform RAAM. https://platformraam.nl/artikelen/2792-how-is-russia-benefiting-from-moldovas-loss-of-the-us
  9. Parzonka, M. (2024). Poland could be Europe’s rising star on defence and security. Chatham House. https://www.chathamhouse.org/2024/07/poland-could-be-europes-rising-star-defence-and-security
  10. Parzonka, M. (2023). Is Poland back on track? Chatham House. https://www.chathamhouse.org/2023/10/poland-back-track

 

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