Maria Kuznetsova

Maria Kuznetsova is a prominent Russian human rights advocate and anti-war activist, currently enrolled as a first-year Master's candidate in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. Prior to Harvard, Maria served as a spokesperson for the OVD-Info human rights media project, offering legal assistance to Russian political prisoners, including those who actively opposed Russian aggression in Ukraine.  

Maria has personally experienced police detentions, searches, interrogations, and surveillance by Russian security forces due to her pro-democracy activities. Many of those close to her have been incarcerated for their work against authoritarianism and military aggression, propelling Maria to international advocacy for human rights issues in Russia. As a result of her activities, Maria now resides in exile. Maria also volunteers at NGOs that assist Ukrainian war refugees.  

She recently conducted a research project (soon to be published) examining how Russian security services prepared for a full-scale attack on Ukraine since 2014. Maria perceives internal authoritarianism and human rights infringements as prerequisites for aggressive foreign policy. 

 Her academic interests span across the areas of conflict resolution and peacebuilding, civil resistance, democratic transitions, transitional justice, nuclear proliferation in Eurasia, and Arctic policy. She also has a special love for space exploration and policy and aspires to delve into the field in more peaceful times.