Niels Drost is a Research Fellow at the Security Unit and the Russia & Eastern Europe Centre (CREEC) of the Clingendael Institute. His research primarily focuses on contemporary politics and security issues in Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia.
Niels holds an MA in International Relations in Historical Perspective (cum laude) from Utrecht University, a BA in International Studies (cum laude), majoring in Russia and Eurasia, from Leiden University, and a BA in Journalism from Hogeschool Utrecht. Prior to joining Clingendael, Niels studied Russian language and literature at the Ural Federal University in Yekaterinburg and worked as a freelance journalist for Dutch regional and national broadcasters.