I was born in Turkmenistan and I’m mixed Ukrainian-Russian ethnically. However, I have lived in the UK most of my life. I graduated in 2021 from the London School of Economics, having studied International Relations and History. My broader research interests include the overlap of politics and protest with society, arts and culture, as well as identity and sexuality across Central Asia, Ukraine, and Russia. During my MPhil, I am keen to explore the role of music as a form of political protest against corruption and authoritarianism in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.