Ilya received his PhD at the University of Manchester and since then worked at the University of Leeds as a lecturer in Russian culture and society before joining the University of Sheffield as a Lecturer in Digital Journalism and Disinformation. He is the author of two monographs about Russian conspiracy theories ('Fortress Russia: Conspiracy Theories in the post-Soviet World' and 'Russia Today and Conspiracy theories: People, Power, Politics on RT' co-authored with Precious Chatterje-Doody).Ilya works on the thematic crossroads of studying state-sponsored disinformation, beliefs in conspiracy theories and journalistic practices, particularly being interested in how authoritarian regimes weaponise disinformation and what factors help its circulation around the world.