Natalia Baranova

Natalia Baranova is a research assistant at the LSE Centre for Women, Peace and Security, where she is part of the Activist in Residence programme. Her research focuses on feminist movements and the Women, Peace, and Security agenda in authoritarian contexts, including Russia.

Natalia brings more than 12 years of experience in civil society and independent media, which has deepened her knowledge and practice of gender justice policy and advocacy. In May 2022, the Russian government labelled Natalia as a "foreign agent" due to her anti-war stance and civil society work. Her experience of forced exile significantly influences her research and activism.

The ongoing experience of transnational repression informs her understanding of the risks, power imbalances, and survival strategies that feminist and civil society actors navigate under authoritarianism. In the diaspora, Natalia is active in collective advocacy against Russia's imperial, colonial, misogynist and anti-gender politics.

Her research interests include gender justice, reproductive rights, and intersectionality; collective resilience in feminist organising and social justice movements; decolonial transitional justice; and regenerative activism. Her methods are rooted in community-based and trauma-informed practice.

At the Centre for Women, Peace and Security, Natalia works on a research project exploring civil society's vision for the Women, Peace and Security agenda, addressing implementation challenges, and collaborating with feminist and women-led movements operating in repressive political environments.

Natalia holds an MSc in Gender, Peace, and Security from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Her master's thesis examined the politics of emotion in anti-war movements, particularly mothers' protests that challenged Russian militarism and called for social justice and transnational feminist solidarity.