Walenty Baluk

Walenty Baluk is a full professor at Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin (UMCS), Faculty of Political Science and Journalism, where he serves as Director of the Eastern Europe Center and is employed in the Department of International Security, Institute of International Relations. With over 140 scientific publications, Professor Baluk specializes in political systems, foreign and security policy, and national relations in Central and Eastern European countries.

Professor Baluk earned his graduate degree from the Institute of Political Science at the University of Wrocław (1997), followed by a PhD (2000) and habilitation (2007) in political science from the Faculty of Social Sciences at the same university. His academic career began in 2000 as an assistant professor at the University of Wrocław, where he remained until 2011, before joining UMCS as an associate professor. He was promoted to full professor in 2014.

His research focuses on Eastern European political dynamics, with particular expertise in Ukrainian politics, Russia-Ukraine relations, and security challenges in the post-Soviet space. Professor Baluk's work examines party systems, coalition governments, nationality policies, and the geopolitical implications of Russian aggression against Georgia and Ukraine. His recent publications increasingly address hybrid warfare, strategic partnerships, and the evolving security architecture in Eastern Europe.

Professor Baluk has received recognition for his scholarly contributions, including coordinating a Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs grant under the 'Public Diplomacy 2021' competition for the project 'The Legacy of Piłsudski-Petlura. The Past, Present, and Future of the Polish-Ukrainian Partnership.'

He serves as editor-in-chief of 'East of Europe. Humanistic and Social Studies' and is a member of editorial boards for several academic journals including 'Історико світу', 'Granі історії', and 'Actual problems with international problems.' Professor Baluk is also an active participant in academic conferences, having co-organized the 'Security in Eastern Europe' program line (2015-2019) and the international conference 'Polish-Ukrainian Relations in the 20th and 21st Centuries' (2017, 2018, 2021).

His scientific collaborations extend to universities in Kyiv, Chernivtsi, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Tbilisi, and Chisinau, reflecting his deep engagement with Eastern European academic communities and his commitment to fostering regional scholarly cooperation.