When did your interest in Russia begin?
I began Russian language lessons when I was 13, during the time of Glasnost and Perestroika. Russia looked exciting – it was opening up and there was a new type of politician in the Kremlin. I first visited Russia in 1991, the year the USSR collapsed, and returned many times: I spent my gap year living there, did a year abroad during my Russian and Italian degree, and worked for a now-defunct English language newspaper in Moscow the year after graduating. I came back to the UK to join Chatham House in 2000 as a programme administrator. What began as a love for the language and culture evolved into an interest in the region’s politics over my 25 years at the institute.
James Nixey: ‘I met Vladimir Putin by accident’
The outgoing director of Chatham House’s Russia and Eurasia Programme reflects on Russia’s anti-democratic history, paying attention to its neighbours and his 25 years of service.
The World Today
Published 9 June 2025 — 2 minute READ
Image — Vladmir Putin shortly after his inauguration as Russian president in 2000. James Nixey met him four years later following the Beslan massacre. Photo: Antoine Gyori/Sygma via Getty Images.
