Elena graduated from Moscow State University in 2005 and later went on to get her Ph.D. in History. In journalism since 2003. PhD in History. Special Correspondent of Kommersant Daily newspaper. She has been in journalism since 2003. Her professional interests include cybersecurity and diplomacy, arms control, and nuclear nonproliferation. Member of PIR Center Executive Board, Co-Chair of the Trialogue Club International, Member of the Board of the Council for Foreign and Defense Policy (SVOP). Elena’s professional interests include cyber security and diplomacy, arms control and disarmament, and Russian foreign policy in general. She speaks Russian, English and German.

Lieutenant-General (retired). PhD in Military Sciences. In the Armed Services since 1968. Graduated from the Military Institute of Foreign Languages, Frunze Military Academy. In 2002, he was appointed on the position of Head of the International Treaties Department – Deputy Head of the Main Directorate of International Military Cooperation of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. Retired from active duty in 2009. Deputy CEO of Vega Radio Engineering Corporation from 2009 to 2018. In 2009-2017 – PIR Center Consultant, then Senior Vice-President. Chairman of PIR Center Executive Board since 2014. From 2016 – Associate Professor and Head of Center for Applied Political-Military Research of School of World Politics, Lomonosov Moscow State University. Professor of the Institute for Advanced Strategic Studies at the Higher School of Economics (HSE University). Vice-President of the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC). Specialized in arms control, political and military aspects of international security, nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction, military use of the outer space, Russia-NATO, and US-Russia relations.