Natia Seskuria

Natia Seskuria is a Senior Research Fellow for Russian and Eurasian Security at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), where she leads the Evolving Security of Russia and Eurasia programme. Prior to this role, she was an Associate Fellow at RUSI, contributing to the institute's research on security dynamics across Russia and the Black Sea region.

Natia is the Founder and Executive Director of the Regional Institute for Security Studies (RISS), a Tbilisi-based think tank and official RUSI partner. She previously held a Visiting Fellowship at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University, where she worked on a book examining the Russian-Georgian conflict, forthcoming with Hurst.

Her research spans Russia's domestic and foreign policy - encompassing Moscow's relations with neighbouring states, its strategic approach to occupied territories, engagement with the West, and the deployment of active measures - as well as security dynamics across the South Caucasus and the Black Sea region. She is also an Associate Professor in Russian Politics and a regular invited lecturer at leading academic and professional institutions, including the NATO Defence College in Rome and the Royal College of Defence Studies in London.

Natia regularly appears as a commentator on major international media, including BBC, CNN, France 24, and Al Jazeera, and is a regular contributor to Foreign Policy and the Financial Times. She contributes to leading defence and security conferences worldwide and advises governments and private sector organisations on political, strategic, and operational risks relating to Russia, the South Caucasus, and the Black Sea region, and has authored numerous policy publications.

Natia's earlier career included an advisory role at Chatham House, a Black Sea Fellowship at the Middle East Institute (MEI), and senior advisory positions at Georgia's National Security Council and Ministry of Defence.

She holds an MA in Politics, Security and Integration and a BA (Hons) in Politics and East European Studies, both from the School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES) at University College London (UCL).