Kyle Wilson graduated from the ANU with First Class Honours in Russian in 1976. He studied at Moscow and Leningrad State Universities (1977-79). He taught Russian 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 and the Former Soviet Union. Wilson has served as official Russian interpreter for Australian heads of state, prime ministers and minister.  Since retiring from DFAT and ONA he has been a Visiting Fellow at the ANU’s Centre for European Studies.