Ksenia Rybak is a researcher and writer working at the intersection of media theory and investigative practice. She is currently developing her independent research collective Scarcity, which investigates different cases of Russian imperialist violence through spatial and media-based analysis. One of its first published case studies, With Bricks, Not Bombs, examines the processes of the so-called reconstruction of Mariupol under Russian occupation. Ksenia holds a BA in Cultural Studies from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and an MA in Media Arts Cultures, jointly awarded by Aalborg University (DK), the University for Continuing Education Krems (AT), and the University of Łódź (PL). Her practice and research involve collaborations with interdisciplinary research and artistic groups, including the Center for Spatial Technologies, Forensis, Forensic Architecture, the Institute of Network Cultures, and the Mariupol Memory Park.

As part of her fellowship at the CRC 1187, Ksenia is conducting research on the filtration politics imposed on Ukrainian citizens at Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow as the only checkpoint allowing Ukrainian citizens to enter occupied Ukrainian territories. She is also preparing a PhD proposal that studies drone warfare in Ukraine, which builds upon her master’s thesis project.

Drone warfare and remote military technologies
Weaponization of consumer technologies
Occupational formations and bureaucratic violence
Weaponization of infrastructures
Violence against cities and urban environments
Data visualization and 3D modeling as investigative and analytical tools