Kyle Wilson studied modern European languages at the ANU, graduating with a First in Russian in 1976. He studied at the Moscow and Leningrad State Universities (1977-79) and taught briefly at the University of Queensland before joining the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs in 1981. He had postings in Warsaw (1982-84), Moscow (1988-92) and Beijing (1995-2000). He studied Polish in Lublin and Krakow; and Mandarin at the Beijing Institute of Economics and Management. From 2000 to 2003 he headed DFAT’s China Political and Bilateral Section. From 2003 to 2013 he was seconded to the Office of National Assessments as the Senior Analyst for Russia. He has served as the official Russian interpreter for Australian heads of state, prime ministers, federal ministers and state premiers. Since retiring he has been a Visiting Fellow at the ANU’s Centre for European Studies. At the invitation of its then Director General, Allan Gyngell (now the national President of the AIIA), he designed and completed an Oral History of the Office of National Assessments. His interests embrace all aspects of Russia past and present, with a particular focus on Russian national myths and the history of Russian thought; Pacific Russia; Sino-Russian relations; and the history of Australian-Russian ties. He publishes commentaries for the Lowy Institute and ASPI.