Natia Seskuria

Natia Seskuria is a Senior Research Fellow and Head of the Russia, Eurasia and Black Sea Security Programme at RUSI. She previously served as an Associate Fellow at RUSI, contributing to the institute's research on security dynamics across Russia and the Black Sea region.

Natia is 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 Harvard University's Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, where she worked on a book examining the Russian-Georgian conflict, forthcoming with Hurst.

Her research spans Russia's domestic and foreign policy - including Moscow's relations with neighbouring states, its strategic approach to occupied territories, engagement with the West, and the use of active measures - as well as broader security dynamics across the South Caucasus and 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 is a regular commentator on major international media, including the BBC, CNN, France 24, and Al Jazeera, and a regular contributor to Foreign Policy and the Financial Times. She speaks frequently at 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. She has authored numerous policy publications on these topics.

Earlier in her career, Natia held 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).