Joshua Yaffa
Joshua Yaffa is a Contributing Writer at The New Yorker, where he covers Russia, Ukraine, and European security and political affairs, and serves as the inaugural Writer-in-Residence at Bard College Berlin. An internationally respected journalist and author, Yaffa is known for his deep, on-the-ground reporting and nuanced analysis of geopolitics, power, and global security. For his reporting from Russia, Yaffa has received a grant from the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting and was a finalist for the Livingston Award, the largest all-media general reporting prize in American journalism. He has previously held prestigious fellowships at New America and The American Academy in Berlin. Yaffa is the author of Between Two Fires: Truth, Ambition, and Compromise in Putin’s Russia, a critically acclaimed book that won the Orwell Prize for Political Writing in 2021. His work has appeared in leading global publications including The Economist, The New York Times, National Geographic, Bloomberg, The New Republic, and Foreign Affairs, among others.
Joshua Yaffa Professional Experience / Academic History
Professional Experience
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Correspondent and Contributing Writer
Academic History
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Bachelor's Degree
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M.A., Journalism and International Affairs
RUSSIA & GEOPOLITICAL ANALYSIS
Joshua Yaffa has reported on Russia and the broader Eurasian region for more than a decade, covering complex political, security, and societal dynamics through extensive on-the-ground reporting.
His work offers rare insight into the inner workings of modern Russia and the forces shaping its domestic politics and global behavior.
For his reporting, Yaffa has been named a fellow at New America, received the American Academy’s Berlin Prize, and was a finalist for the Livingston Award, one of the most prestigious honors in American journalism.
He continues to analyze Russia’s evolving political landscape and its implications for global security, international relations, and economic stability.
BETWEEN TWO FIRES
Between Two Fires: Truth, Ambition, and Compromise in Putin’s Russia is Joshua Yaffa’s critically acclaimed examination of life under Vladimir Putin’s regime and the broader political realities of contemporary Russia.
Through deeply reported narratives, the book explores the lives of ordinary Russians and the moral, personal, and political compromises required to navigate an authoritarian system.
The book won the Orwell Prize for Political Writing in 2021 and was recognized as a New York Times Editors’ Choice, as well as one of NPR’s and Kirkus Reviews’ Books of the Year.
Widely praised for its clarity and depth, Between Two Fires is considered essential reading for understanding modern Russia and its role in global affairs.