
About
Terrell Jermaine Starr is an independent journalist based in Kyiv, Ukraine covering the Russo-Ukrainian War. He is the founder and host of the Black Diplomats podcast, where he covers geopolitical issues. Terrell is also a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center and he writes for Rolling Stone. He previously worked at The Root and Foxtrot Alpha, a blog that focuses on the military, technology, and policy.

Terrell has been living part time in Ukraine since 2016. He first lived and studied in Ukraine as a Fulbright scholar. He’s also lived in the nation of Georgia, where he volunteered for the Peace Corps. He is fluent in Russian and has a Master’s degree in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies and a Master’s degree in Journalism from the University of Illinois. He is a graduate of Philander Smith College, an HBCU in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he earned a Bachelor’s in English.
Starr, who has nearly 15 years of journalism experience, recently completed his memoir on how his upbringing informed his understanding of US-Russian foreign policy and the intersections between American white supremacy and imperialism.
In 2018, Diversity in National Security Network and New America selected him as one of the top African-American experts in foreign policy and national security. Starr is also a 2018-2020 Global Strategist Association fellow, which is a fellowship that aims to place Black people in foreign policy discussions and positions of power.
He regularly appears on news networks around the world, where he provides first-person reporting from Kyiv, Ukraine.
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