He previously worked as a Research Fellow at the Hague Research Institute for Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus & Central Asia, where he focused on European defense and security, as well as Eastern Europe, Ukraine, and Russia. He also contributed to the work of the EU Affairs Research Team at The New Global Order think tank. Prior to that, Vitalii was a trainee at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and an intern at a French start-up Nunki.co (now Everdian), where he served as an OSINT analyst. He is also actively involved with several Ukrainian non-governmental organizations focused on diplomacy and international affairs. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, with a specialization in Foreign Policy and National Security, and a Master’s degree in International Security from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. His master’s dissertation examined the underlying factors behind Russia’s use of force against Georgia in 2008 and Ukraine in 2014–2015. His research interests include the International Order, Great Power Competition, Grand Strategy, Transatlantic Security, and EU/NATO Enlargement Policies.