Ksenia Smertina is a political scientist, international relations expert, specialist in Central and Eastern European studies, and lecturer at the Institute for Media Studies at HSE University.
She has a Master’s degree in International Relations from St. Petersburg State University, an MA from Central European University (CEU, Budapest), and completed her postgraduate studies at MGIMO University. As part of her research activities, she completed fellowships at the University of Warsaw and Charles University in Prague. She has also worked with leading Russian think tanks and research centers, including the PIR Center and ISEPR.
Previously, she served as head of the External Relations Department at the Foundation for Support and Development of Valdai Discussion Club. She also co-authored the concept and served as managing director of Russia Direct, a prominent international analytical project launched by Rossiyskaya Gazeta and the American magazine Foreign Policy, tailored for US policymakers. Additionally, she managed international scientific and educational programs for major Russian systemic foundations, coordinating the promotion and global outreach of domestic academic research.
She specializes in the applied analysis of the domestic and foreign policies of the Visegrad Group countries (Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary), as well as fundamental issues of European security and media studies.
She is the author of numerous expert briefs and publications for the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) and PIR-Center. She also has academic publications in Russian and English. Follow her Telegram channel.
