Yana Pashaeva is a documentarian at Arizona State University and an award-winning documentary journalist. She has more than 14 years of experience covering U.S. and Russian politics, economics, culture, technology, and social issues. Her work has reached millions of viewers in both the United States and Russia.
Before joining ASU, she worked as a multimedia journalist with Voice of America in Washington, D.C., where she reported on U.S.-Russia relations, the repression of journalists and LGBTQ+ individuals, and internet censorship. In 2024, she won Voice of America’s Pitch Contest and directed the documentary You and I, and AI, which explores the relationship between humans and artificial intelligence. The film won a Bronze Award in the Social Issues category at the 2025 New York Festivals TV & Film Awards and was named Best Film Reflecting Ethical and Legal Issues in the Use of Technology at the 2024 CineTech Future Fest in Poland.
Previously, she worked as a video producer for Reuters in Moscow, covering sanctions, national security, and social issues. She authored opinion pieces for the Los Angeles Times and produced podcasts and articles for Slate on Russia-related topics, including Olympic scandals, protests, and television propaganda. She also managed a team of reporters while serving as a line producer at Moscow’s Kommersant FM radio station. Additionally, she produced the documentary Cargo 200 with Russian independent journalist Irina Shikhman, which gained over 4 million views on YouTube.
She is an alumna of the Hubert Humphrey Fellowship Program at Arizona State University and holds a PhD in linguistics from Moscow State University.
Favorite sports memory?
The 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. I remember the streets of Moscow flooded with fans from all over the world—everyone decked out in team merch, singing, dancing, and celebrating. Sadly, it feels impossible now given the current political climate. Also, the Russian team—usually underdogs—shocked the whole country (in the best way) by making it to the Quarter-Finals.
Your global sports Mount Rushmore?
Simone Biles, Aliya Mustafina, Caitlin Clark, and Yulia Lipnitskaya.
Which world leader would you put in goal?
Aleksandar Vucic—he’s got the height for it!
Which athlete would you want to be world leader?
Eteri Tutberidze. She’s coached multiple Olympic champions in figure skating and is known for her discipline and results-driven mindset.
Best rivalry?
Alina Zagitova vs. Evgenia Medvedeva.
A sign that the world of sport is shrinking?
Right near my new home in Adams Morgan, Washington, DC, there’s a mural of Russian ice hockey legend Alexander Ovechkin—painted after he became the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer.
Where would the Great Game Lab find the quintessence of global sport?
The FIFA World Cup. I can’t wait to compare the atmosphere of the tournament in North America to the one we had in Russia.
Question you'd most want to ask other fellows?
What’s your favorite sports documentary?