Kateryna Stepanenko

Position:

Russia Analyst

Kateryna Stepanenko is a Russia Analyst at the Institute for the Study of War. Kateryna is a senior member of the team that has produced the daily Russian Offensive Campaign Assessments since February 2022 and previously covered Russia’s preparations for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. She also assists in the daily production of ISW’s maps of assessed control of terrain in Ukraine. Kateryna is a Kyiv native and integrates her research on the Russian information space and the Kremlin into ISW’s daily coverage of the war. Kateryna also focuses on Russian force generation efforts, campaign design, and pro-war nationalist Telegram communities. Kateryna received a B.A. in International Affairs from George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs, where she concentrated in Europe and Eurasian affairs. Kateryna’s work and interviews regularly appear in media outlets such as CNN, Associated Press, Foreign Policy, The Hill, BBC, Wired, and others.

In the Media:

Russia claimed victory in the battle for the strategic Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, NPR, May 26, 2023

Wagner boss Prigozhin is going off the rails in Ukraine, and Putin may not have much choice but to let him, war expert says, Business Insider, May 13, 2023

‘Exhaust them’: Why Ukraine has fought Russia for every inch of Bakhmut, despite high cost, The Associated Press, May 21, 2023

Why have Russia’s armed forces been so ineffective in Ukraine, The Economist, May 15, 2023

The war for Donbas moves to a different phase as Russia pounds cities that civilians can’t afford to leave, CNN, February 3, 2023

US spies lag rivals in seizing on data hiding in plain sight, The Associated Press, January 12, 2023

ISW Publications:

The Kremlin's Pyrrhic Victory in Bakhmut: A Retrospective on the Battle for Bakhmut, May 24, 2023

Russia's Religious Repression in Ukraine, April 9, 2023

Special Edition Update: Putin’s Cautious Approach to Risk-Taking After Launching a Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine, February 5, 2023

Special Edition Update: The Rise of Russian Military Correspondents (Milbloggers), November 20, 2022