Full Name
Misha Zelinsky
Job Title
War Correspondent, Columnist,
Current Employer
Australian Financial Review
Speaker Bio
Misha Zelinsky is a leading authority 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 war correspondent for The Australian Financial Review. He is personally sanctioned by the Putin regime.
A graduate of the London School of Economics and Political Science, Misha is an expert associate at Australia’s National Security College.
Thanks to his time as assistant national secretary of the Australian Workers’ Union — Australia’s oldest blue-collar trade union — Misha has been a leading political figure with a reputation for expertise in supply chain sovereignty, national security, industrial policy, countering foreign interference, trade and energy security.
As Secretary of the Australian Labor Party’s national policy forum, Misha was responsible for the overall development of the Australian Labor Party's 2022 election platform. He is chair of the Labor Foreign Policy Committee. Misha began his career as a criminal defence lawyer for the Aboriginal Legal Service in rural Australia.
In 2020, Misha edited ‘The Write Stuff’ — a collection of essays on the future of the Australian Labor Party — with contributors from senior members of the current federal government including Richard Marles, Jim Chalmers, Chris Bowen, Ed Husic, Clare O’Neil, Bill Shorten and Michelle Rowland.
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, Times of London and Financial Times. His 5000 word profile from inside President Volodymyr Zelensky’s hometown won wide acclaim.
Misha is a regular columnist for the Australian Financial Review, writing on the future of democracy, Australian domestic policy, national security and geopolitics.
He is the host of popular foreign policy podcast ‘Diplomates – A Geopolitical Chinwag’, a show that regularly features in Australia's top 10 podcasts.
Misha is a director of Cbus Super, a superannuation fund with over $80 billion under management.
A Fulbright Scholar, economist, lawyer, and author — Misha spent 2022 and 2023 covering Russia’s invasion from inside Ukraine as war correspondent for The Australian Financial Review. He is personally sanctioned by the Putin regime.
A graduate of the London School of Economics and Political Science, Misha is an expert associate at Australia’s National Security College.
Thanks to his time as assistant national secretary of the Australian Workers’ Union — Australia’s oldest blue-collar trade union — Misha has been a leading political figure with a reputation for expertise in supply chain sovereignty, national security, industrial policy, countering foreign interference, trade and energy security.
As Secretary of the Australian Labor Party’s national policy forum, Misha was responsible for the overall development of the Australian Labor Party's 2022 election platform. He is chair of the Labor Foreign Policy Committee. Misha began his career as a criminal defence lawyer for the Aboriginal Legal Service in rural Australia.
In 2020, Misha edited ‘The Write Stuff’ — a collection of essays on the future of the Australian Labor Party — with contributors from senior members of the current federal government including Richard Marles, Jim Chalmers, Chris Bowen, Ed Husic, Clare O’Neil, Bill Shorten and Michelle Rowland.
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, Times of London and Financial Times. His 5000 word profile from inside President Volodymyr Zelensky’s hometown won wide acclaim.
Misha is a regular columnist for the Australian Financial Review, writing on the future of democracy, Australian domestic policy, national security and geopolitics.
He is the host of popular foreign policy podcast ‘Diplomates – A Geopolitical Chinwag’, a show that regularly features in Australia's top 10 podcasts.
Misha is a director of Cbus Super, a superannuation fund with over $80 billion under management.
Speaking At
