Mikael is a native Russian speaker and also speaks Spanish and German.

Prior to joining Forward Risk, he held positions at the Atlantic Council’s GeoEconomics Center and the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. He is a member of the European Leadership Network’s Younger Generation Leaders Network on Euro-Atlantic Security. He holds an MA from Georgetown University.

In his spare time, he writes a literary blog and regularly finds himself humbled playing chess at Dupont Circle.