Nikita Degtyarev

Nikita Degtyarev works on the testing of tools for open-source data analysis and supports ONN’s nuclear programmes research.  

Nikita Degtyarev focuses on using open-source information and remote sensing techniques in ONN research on countries’ nuclear programmes and nuclear risk reduction. His research interests include nuclear risk reduction, nuclear non-proliferation, Russian and NATO nuclear policy. 

Prior to joining ONN, Nikita was an Information & Publications Programme Coordinator at the PIR Center, where he wrote and edited papers related to the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and arms control. He also produced the e-journal Yaderny Kontrol (Nuclear Control) and managed the organisation's website and social media accounts. During his master's degree studies, Nikita interned at the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, conducting research on NATO nuclear sharing arrangements and long-range conventional missiles in Europe. He also interned at the Representative Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia. Nikita received his bachelor's degree in International Relations from Ural Federal University in Yekaterinburg, Russia. He is a graduate of the dual degree master's programme at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS) and the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), majoring in global security, nuclear policy, and WMD non-proliferation. 

In his free time, Nikita dives into the immersive worlds of books and video games. A good story can inspire and educate, while video games allow him to unwind and experience new adventures from the comfort of his home, away from the complexities of the nuclear weapons realm. 

Nikita is the author or co-author of academic articles, analytical pieces, media publications, and books on issues related to nuclear weapons and non-proliferation. Recent publications include: 

• Russia’s Nuclear Signalling: Non-Strategic Nuclear Exercises and Future Doctrine Changes; AI and atoms: How artificial intelligence is revolutionizing nuclear material production (Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Volume 79, 2023 - Issue 5: Special issue: The hype, peril, and promise of artificial intelligence); 
• Россия и Договор о запрещении ядерного оружия: перестать игнорировать и начать наблюдать изнутри [Russia and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons: Stop Ignoring and Start Watching from the Inside]; Nuclear Sharing Arrangements: Military-Technical Aspects and Controversies (from the book “Russian-American Nuclear Nonproliferation Dialogue: Lessons Learned And Road Ahead.” Palgrave Macmillan. 2022).