You are a second-year student at IIRPS VU, how did you choose to study at IIRPS VU? How do you feel about your studies at the Institute? 

I have always been interested in politics, and over time I had to become directly involved in the field of political activism. I stumbled upon the League of Young Conservatives and, encouraged by my colleagues, I realised that studying at IIRPS was a natural next step for a young conservative after graduation. It is very difficult to plan your time when you are involved in political activities, so what I enjoy most is being able to combine my studies with my other activities, which I sometimes like to find more than I can fit in.

You are the President of the League of Young Conservatives, how did you get started in this organisation? What are your main goals as a leader? Perhaps you can share what you have already achieved?

I found out about the Young Conservatives League quite unexpectedly – as a volunteer. At that time, my curiosity led me to join this community. Maybe I wanted more from the organisation than it could give me, but when I saw such a warm community I couldn’t help but stay. Over time, opportunities to have a greater influence on the organisation’s activities became available and that is how I ended up where I am today. My four years with the organisation have had a profound impact on my life. Nowadays, my entire public and private life is very much tied to the organisation. As a leader, I have always tried to preserve what is the foundation of our community: tradition, a warm community, and a clear political stance. My main objectives have always revolved around these aspects. I came here to make this organisation stronger, warmer, and more politically active. Of course, people come and go, but traditions remain, and in terms of what I have done, I would say the most important thing is to create a new tradition. At midnight, during every event, the young conservatives perform the partisan song ‘Let the Bolsheviks know’. 

In the last municipal elections you ran for Kaunas City Council and were elected, what motivated you to run? How do you feel about this experience, and did you face any difficulties because of your age? 

To be honest, the war in Ukraine has had a very strong impact on my life priorities and values. At the beginning of the war, I was very angry to see the ambiguous or openly pro-Russian attitude of a large number of politicians. In response to this, together with my colleagues, I decided to organise a protest in my hometown Kaunas, and then, after seeing really strong interest from the public, I decided to continue my civic activism activities. Finally, I realised that the only way to make a difference in Kaunas was to run for the city council. And so it happened that I ended up on the TS-LKD list, and my civic and political activities led to a high position on the list. It is no secret that I am one of the youngest elected members of the Council in Lithuania, but I have never seen my age as a very big advantage or disadvantage. I always judge people on the basis of what they have done, not on their age, appearance, or any other aspect that is not related to competences.

When you ran for Kaunas City Council, you indicated in your VRK profile as a hobby “In my free time I organise protests against pro-Russian politicians”, could you tell us more about that?

I am a very big fan of civic activism. I can safely say that my approach here is very different from the majority. In my opinion, various civic actions, protests, and political performances are much more effective ways of drawing attention to certain issues compared to the traditional, and for the majority, boring political communication methods. As a young person, I have a good understanding of how social networks and fast-moving content work, so this way of communicating is closer to my heart. As for the protests themselves, I can mention a number of actions in front of the Russian Embassy, the first protest in the history of Širvintos, and a whole series of protests and political performances in Kaunas. I think most people understand that my presence in the City Council will certainly not allow my opponents to get bored.

What would you like to wish the IIRPS VU community?

I would wish the IIRPS VU community to produce fewer political scientists and more politicians.