I was born in the USSR, grew up in Boston, and spent nearly two decades in Moscow working inside Russian media and the Kremlin’s propaganda machine before returning to the U.S.

I graduated from St. Petersburg State University—Putin’s and Ayn Rand’s alma mater—where I studied History and International Relations. In Russia, I published magazines that slipped Kremlin talking points between ads for Rolex watches, ran campaigns for global consumer brands, handled PR for oligarchs, and produced political talk shows that staged opposition while reinforcing the state’s line. It was media—but it was also propaganda as a commercial product.

Now based in New York, I write and advise institutions on Russian politics, propaganda, and U.S.-Russia relations. My work has appeared in The Atlantic, Rolling Stone, Air Mail, and New Lines.

My memoir, The Propagandist, is out in 2026.