Darya Khandoga is a PhD candidate in the Department of War Studies. Her research explores the historical foundations of Russian covert warfare and deception tactics, tracing their development from early Tsarist Russia to contemporary strategies through a strategic culture lens. Since 2024, Darya has been part of a PhD research initiative between KCL and NATO HQ ARRC, providing academic insights on relevant topics.

Darya holds a MSc in Global Affairs (2020) from King’s College London and a BA in Political Science (2018) from Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, and spent one year studying Security Studies at SciencesPo Paris (2017). Darya comes to the War Studies Department after 2 years of professional experience in the field of cyber security consulting and threat intelligence, and has accomplished internships at international organisations and global think tanks, including the United Nations and the Munich Security Conference.

Darya grew up in Munich and is fluent in German, English, Russian, and French.

Research Interests

• Russian foreign & security policy
• Strategic culture
• History of intelligence
• Clausewitzian theory of war
• Military-intelligence relations 

Thesis

Russia’s Legacy of Deception: A Strategic Culture Approach to Covert Warfare and Influence Operations from Tsarist Russia to Contemporary Strategies.

Supervisors:

• Dr Natasha Kuhrt
• Dr Huw Dylan

Research Centres and Groups

King’s Centre for the Study of Intelligence (KCSI)