Nikolai Sundstrom

Areas of Expertise

Russia & Ukraine

Focus Areas

Product Line

Map Series

Nikolai Sundstrom is a Russia Researcher at the Institute for the Study of War. He previously interned with ISW during the Spring 2026 term. Prior to joining ISW, Nikolai interned at The U.S. Russia Foundation, where he supported initiatives that combated Russian influence abroad. He was also a Junior Policy Analyst specializing in Arctic security for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor), where he briefed officials on Russian militarization in the Arctic, defense infrastructure modernization, and critical minerals extraction.

Nikolai’s published articles focus on American interpretations of Russian security interests and economic warfare. His research interests include Russian economics, U.S.-Russia competition, and Russian cognitive warfare efforts abroad. He has a working proficiency in Russian.

Nikolai holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Russian from the University of British Columbia and a Diploma in International and European Studies from the University of Vienna.

Latest Research By

Nikolai Sundstrom