Natia Seskuria

Natia Seskuria is an Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). She is also a Founder and Executive Director of the Regional Institute for Security Studies (RISS), a Tbilisi-based think tank and an official partner of RUSI. Additionally, Natia holds an advisory position at Chatham House and is a lecturer in Russian politics.

She has a broad experience in policy-making, strategic foresight and provides analysis on defence and security issues. In the past, she served at the Office of the National Security Council of Georgia and the Ministry of Defence of Georgia.

Natia’s research focuses on Russia’s domestic and foreign policy, in particular Russia’s relations with its neighbours, strategic approach to occupied regions, relations with the West and the use of active measures. She also specialises in conflicts and security in the South Caucasus and the Black Sea region and regularly contributes to leading academic journals and online magazines. Natia is a frequent commentator on major media outlets including BBC, France 24 and CNN.

Prior to her current roles, Natia was a Black Sea Fellow at the Middle East Institute (MEI). She also worked for the Foreign Editor of The Sunday Times of London, and in the International Security Studies Department at RUSI, where her work focused on security dynamics in Russia and Eurasia. Additionally, Natia has acted as an independent consultant in London, advising private sector companies on political, strategic and operational risks.

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