Dr Dmitry Polikanov serves as Deputy Head of Rossotrudnichestvo, the Russian Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States, Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Cooperation, under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He is also Board Member of the Security Index journal.
He has a vast experience of working with various Russian and international organizations, being involved in research and political consulting. Graduating from MGIMO, he joined the PIR Center in 1998 starting his career in foreign policy analysis. He was advisor to the head of the Moscow delegation of the ICRC, Director for International and Public Relations of the All-Russia Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM). He then moved to politics in 2007-2012 and became Deputy Head of the Central Executive Committee of the ruling United Russia party. After the presidential elections he returned to the NGO sphere and consultancy, first as Deputy Director of the Russian Geographical Society and then leading one the flagship Russian charities for people with disabilities. In 2019-2021 he was Deputy Head of the Executive Committee in the presidential movement – All-Russia Popular Front.
Dmitry has been a guest lecturer at the NATO School in Oberammergau, Germany since 2001 speaking to the senior officers of the Alliance and partner countries. He also lectures at MGIMO and RANEPA (Presidential Civil Service Academy). He is the author of over 100 publications in Russian and foreign languages on Russian domestic and foreign policy and international security.