Deutsche Welle (DW) has appointed Alexandra von Nahmen as the new head of its Russia, Ukraine and Eastern Europe department, bringing decades of frontline reporting and editorial leadership to one of the broadcaster’s most critical news units.
Von Nahmen, who previously led DW’s studios in Moscow, Washington, and Brussels, has extensive experience covering conflict and crisis regions, having reported from Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, Iraq and directly from the front lines in Ukraine during the conflicts in 2014 and 2022. She also served as a White House correspondent during Donald Trump’s first presidential term. Fluent in Russian and with knowledge of Ukrainian, she is well placed to guide DW’s editorial output in both languages.
She succeeds Dr. Christian F. Trippe, who has headed the department since February 2020 and is retiring after a distinguished career at DW.
Commenting on the transition, Nadja Scholz, DW Managing Director Programming, said: “I would like to sincerely thank Christian Trippe for his decades of work at DW. With his foresight and expertise, he strengthened the broadcaster’s presence in Eastern Europe and made it an indispensable source of reliable journalism. Alexandra von Nahmen knows the region firsthand and brings with her a deep understanding of geopolitical contexts and transatlantic relations. Her extensive experience as the head of key DW studios and as a reporter in war and crisis zones makes her an outstanding leader and journalist. She is therefore exceptionally well prepared to further strengthen this important department in times of global power shifts and deliberate disinformation.”
The Russia, Ukraine and Eastern Europe department is a central pillar of DW’s global reporting, delivering content in Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian across television, social media, and online platforms. It provides news, analysis, and on-the-ground reporting from across the former Soviet Union, with a particular emphasis on coverage of the war in Ukraine. The department’s mission includes defending human rights, safeguarding freedom of expression, and providing fact-based journalism in the face of state-backed disinformation.
Reflecting on her new role, von Nahmen said: “Given Europe’s highly volatile security situation, I can hardly imagine a task more urgent or more relevant. I see our core mission as countering Kremlin propaganda with fact-based information. I have been particularly inspired by the close cooperation between our Russian and Ukrainian editorial teams, which continues to function despite the war. I have the deepest respect for the work of our colleagues at the Kyiv hub.”
