This blog's author, Dr Mark Galeotti has been researching Russian history and security issues since the late 1980s.

Educated at Cambridge University and the LSE, he is now Professor of Global Affairs at the Center for Global Affairs of New York University's School of Professional Studies, Director of its Initiative for the Study of Emerging Threats, and an associate member of NYU's History and Russian & Slavic Studies departments. Until 2008, he was head of the History department at Keele University in the UK as well as director of its Organised Russian & Eurasian Crime Research Unit.

His books include the edited collections 'The Politics of Security in Modern Russia' (Ashgate), 'Russian & Soviet Organized Crime' (Ashgate) and 'Global Crime Today' (Routledge) and he is a regular contributor to Jane's Intelligence Review, Oxford Analytica and many other outlets. He writes regular columns for the Moscow Times and Business New Europe.

Speaking on corruption on 'Russia's Rotten Core' panel at Chatham House, 2012

Speaking on corruption on The Big Think, 2012

Speaking about assassination of mob boss Usoyan on Varney & Co, Fox Business Network

Speaking on Russian espionage on Bloomberg TV, 2010

A friendlier Russia in 2013? A one-minute "geopolitical surprise" prediction for Wikistrat

On Bloomberg Surveillance, 26 March 2013, talking about Russia and Cyprus

On CNBC, 6 September 2013, talking about Russia and Syria

On RT with Oxana Boyko on 17 April 2014, talking about covert actions

Crime, Crimea and the Kremlin: Ties between Putin regime and organized crime with VOA, 24 November 2014

VORY (A history of Russian organised crime)
CRIMINAL WORLD (long-term monograph project on organised crime worldwide and throughout history)