Misha Zelinsky

Misha Zelinsky is a leading expert on the rise of global authoritarianism. 

A Fulbright Scholar, economist, lawyer, and author, Misha spent 2022 and 2023 covering Russia’s invasion from inside Ukraine as a war correspondent for The Australian Financial Review. Misha is personally sanctioned by the Putin regime. 

A graduate of the London School of Economics and Political Science, he is an expert associate at Australia’s National Security College. 

Thanks to his time leading the Australian Workers’ Union—Australia’s oldest blue-collar trade union—Misha has been a senior political figure with a reputation for expertise in supply chain sovereignty, national security, industrial policy, countering foreign interference, trade and energy security. 

As a contributor to MSNBC, BBC, ABC, Misha’s work features in Australian and international print publications including the Sydney Morning Herald, Daily Telegraph, Foreign Policy Magazine, Times of London, and Financial Times. His 5000-word profile from inside President Volodymyr Zelensky’s hometown won wide acclaim.