Eristavi is one of the most prominent English-speaking journalists from Eastern Europe.
I got my first broadcast job at 16. I schemed my way into a meeting with the head of a local radio in southern Ukraine. First, she showed me to the door. Then had a second look & asked me to read the news from a paper. “You’re lucky my anchor fell ill, and your voice sounds like you’re 40. You’re on air in 15 minutes. Go!” The rest was my lifelong obsession with broadcast journalism.
Eristavi has a two-decade-long journalism career behind him, which includes championing mainstream English-language coverage of Eastern Europe by indigenous voices. He went from covering both Ukrainian pro-democratic revolutions, being the country’s youngest news anchor and newsroom manager to founding international operations at the leading news startup covering Eastern Europe, and becoming a contributor to leading global outlets, such as RFERL, BBC, CNN, Al-Jazeera, Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs, Politico, Monocle and the Washington Post. At the same time, Bild and The New York Times called his social media reporting an essential source on the region.
That’s a pretty elite roster, putting him among the most internationally recognised Eastern European voices.
He led pioneering English-language coverage of the Russian disinformation warfare, Russian colonialism, and the fight for human rights equality in Eastern Europe.
His storytelling seamlessly blends personal experience, journalism, and empathetic storytelling, resonating with global audiences.
He’s also a rare openly queer voice in Eastern European media, which adds a powerful layer of representation and insight.
His journalism work made Eristavi a featured speaker at leading universities, many parliaments, and foreign ministries, including hearings at the US Congress and the European Parliament. I was featured by NowThis, the Emmy-winning TV show Gaycation by VICE, Voice of America, BILD , among others.