Nataliya Bugayova

Nataliya Bugayova is the Director of Development and a Research Fellow on the Russia and Ukraine portfolio at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). She leads ISW’s development and strategic partnership projects and oversees the planning and execution of events, including the ISW Security Conference, now in its third year. 

She joined ISW after having served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Kyiv Post, Ukraine’s largest independent English-language publication. Previously she served as Chief of Staff to Pavlo Sheremeta, Ukraine's former economy minister, appointed after the pro-democracy EuroMaidan revolution in February 2014. In that role she oversaw Ministry’s cooperation with international financial institutions, focusing primarily on the World Bank program. She has also worked on consulting projects with the World Bank in Washington, D.C. and with Boston Consulting Group's Kyiv office.  

She obtained a Master's degree in public policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. She was a student fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs during her second year at the Kennedy School.  She earned her undergraduate degree, majoring in East Asian studies, at Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University. 

Recent Publications:

Why Russia’s elections matter so much to Putin

The Kremlin Targets Ukraine through Hungary

Ukraine Warning Update: Russia preparing to Cash In its military Gains in Ukraine