Niels Drost is a junior research fellow at the EU & Global Affairs Unit and the Russia & Eastern Europe Centre (CREEC) of the Clingendael Institute. His research revolves primarily around contemporary politics and security issues in Russia, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia.
Niels holds an MA in International Relations in Historical Perspective (cum laude) from Utrecht University, a BA in International Studies with a major in Russia and Eurasia (cum laude) 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, interned at Clingendael's Security Unit and worked as a freelance journalist for Dutch regional and national broadcasters.