Alexandra Zakhvatayev is an internationally known writer who advocates for democratic freedoms, national security, and the US-Ukraine defense alliance.
A communications professional and journalist, she is mostly recognized for her public advocacy and politically driven commentary and documentaries of her mission to war-time Ukraine where she’s lived and endured strikes and bombardments over the course of three consecutive years during russia’s full scale invasion. In the heart of Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, she launched her media outlet, Kyiv Free Press as a volunteer response to counter the global media climate of state suppression and russian propaganda, in order to give wider reach to authentic voices and perspectives.
Alexandra’s passion for advocacy and policy is rooted in her home region of Southwest Florida, where she has undertaken public service work as a federal law caseworker for disabled American veterans and workers with Avard Law Offices, and as a licensed Florida teacher for children with disabilities and autism with the Lee County School District, for which she previously served a term as the appointed Vice President of the Continuous Systemic Improvement Committee.
She began her service to Florida’s 19th Congressional district while earning her Bachelor’s Degree in Communications with a minor in Public Relations at Florida Gulf Coast University (2015), wherein she interned for Congressman Curt Clawson’s Naples office processing constituent inquiries for the federal government. From there, she went on to intern for Senator Marco Rubio’s 2016 Presidential Campaign, and over the years has continued her public affairs with his office where she has facilitated meetings with the office of the Secretary of State and key figures of Ukraine’s military advocacy to drive US-Ukraine military policy.
Born from her Catholic upbringing, her passion for humanitarian work grew from her time as a Public Relations intern with local Christian nonprofit Into the Jordan ministries, which fights human trafficking in Lee County, where she witnessed how missionaries partner with law enforcement, churches, and mental health service providers to aid survivors. Her experience in building comradery with trauma victims gave her tools for her future role in humanitarian relief.
After taking some time off work for maternity leave, Alexandra started her own small agricultural business focused on growing subtropical fruit trees and raising small livestock. However, when russia’s full-scale invasion began, she decided to sell her farm stock in order to devote herself to respond to the war effort.
Drawing on her knowledge from writing business proposals which garnered multi-million dollar impacts during her past experience at a global consultancy firm known as Insite Managed Solutions based in Southwest Florida, Alexandra has independently drafted national security proposals for which she submitted to US Congress and to the Florida State Capitol.
In winter 2023, she partnered with advocacy think tank Protect Ukraine Now to draft a national security proposal, for which she hand delivered to the legislative director with then Sen. Marco Rubio’s office in the US capitol. During this time, she also independently organized Ukrainian American delegations to hold meetings with Sen. Rubio’s office as well as Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart.
In addition to political activism, Alexandra has engaged in humanitarian efforts as part of the war response, which began in Southwest Florida, where she tutored Ukrainian refugee children and families with NicerFl. Working with constituency services of Florida’s 19th Congressional district, she ultimately sponsored and sheltered refugees of war in her own home via United 4 Ukraine Humanitarian Parole.
In 2024, Alexandra traveled alone to war torn Ukraine where she designed and taught a cultural exchange course on democratic freedoms as a volunteer tutor with Ukrainian Catholic University. During this time, she filmed the documentary LVIV FREE OR DIE to raise awareness of life during war, and publicly screened her documentary back home in Southwest Florida. Proceeds from her volunteer journalism were raised for Ukraine’s military with Ukraine Defense Support, a Seattle based organization, for which she sent drone jamming equipment and hundreds of multicam uniforms to the frontline ahead of the 2024 winter counteroffensive.
In September 2024, she alongside several Ukrainian defense advocates attended a House Armed Services Committee at the US Capitol headed by staff with Congressman Mike Rogers office, where they advocated for in-country repair of American-made Bradley Fighting Vehicle, which at the time had to be shipped to NATO territory for repair. In Nov 2024, for the first time, the Biden administration allowed American military contractors to deploy to Ukraine time to repair US-provided weapon systems.
During the summer 2025 counteroffensive of the war in Ukraine, Alexandra once again returned on a solo mission trip to Ukraine, where she lived in Kyiv and premiered her own media outlet Kyiv Free Press, which featured interviews from prominent locals as well as personal footage from strikes on the capitol. Later, she traveled to Odessa Oblast which was under heavy bombins, and she spent time in the furthest southwestern region known as Vilkove, where she met with local government officials on forming a sister city relationship with her home region of Cape Coral Florida.
Upon returning to Southwest Florida, she formed a delegation of Ukrainian American residents of Cape Coral, who continue to advocate with the city government in forming the sister city relationship with Ukraine.
During the Fall of 2025 she began to volunteer with severely wounded Ukrainian soldiers who were recovering in Orlando, Florida with Revive Soldiers Ukraine.
By the end of 2025, Alexandra Zakhvatayev had traveled to the US Capitol multiple times to communicate with Congress and Ukrainian military officials, for which she was able to exchange unique insights on the war having undertaken a deep focus in military journalism. From her homebase in Southwest Florida as well as during her travels to Ukraine, she has conducted multiple interviews to Ukrainian soldiers as well as foreign fighters from the US and all over the world, including soldiers with foreign military unit Chosen Company, some of whom are notoriously wanted on russia’s terrorist and extremist list.
She has published these stories through her own digital channels and blogs, as well as through volunteer contributions to a local outlet, Breeze Newspapers, for which she worked as a journalist in the past, to shed light on Ukraine’s military needs.
In March 2026, she returned to the capitol as part of the Ground Truth Symposium where she was invited by Peace Through Strength Institute to report for her media outlet, Kyiv Free Press. There, she was invited to question US Senators, US veterans of Ukraine, and some of Ukraine’s top military leadership. She conducted interviews with Congressman Pat Harrigan on the topics of joint munitions production, as well as top drone and artillery Commanders of Ukraine’s military, who lead thousands of soldiers within their ranks.
In April 2026, Alexandra Zakhvatayev filed to run as a write-in candidate for Florida’s 19th Congressional District.
In May 2026, she traveled alone throughout Ukraine amid Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s renewed warnings against Americans traveling during heightened escalations due to Ukraine’s retaliatory strikes on Moscow. There, she continued her war-time journalism, enduring strikes in the heart of the capitol, Kyiv, Ukraine, as well as other affected regions, where she met with veterans, dignitaries, students, and families, documenting her experiences for the world to see.
While in Lviv on her third mission trip to Ukraine, she joined international volunteers with nonprofit Car 4 Ukraine organizing a caravan of civilian-funded vehicles to the front-lines. She was named co-captain of the Florida Battlion for their sister-project, 50 States for Ukraine, as part of their nationwide military truck fund.
When Alexandra returned to the states at the end of the summer 2026, she began petitioning the Department of Homeland Security in extending TPS for hundreds of thousands of refugees of the Ukraine war from being deported from the country in the coming October. In September 2026, Gulf Coast News with NBC/ABC picked up the story and did a series of short documentaries on local Ukrainian refugees within Alexandra’s network to pressure the government to let them stay in the country.
Alexandra Zakhvatayev holds dual citizenship in both the United States and Italy, in addition to pursuing her candidacy for citizenship in Ukraine. In a recent statement on her social media page, she spoke out against banning dual citizens from serving in Congress, stating that the electorate is composed of many dual citizens, and this does not preclude sworn loyalty and oath to the US constitution. She is quoted, “Let us be responsible citizens – and furthermore, let us keep open the opportunity for citizens to take on even more responsibility to our nation…….. through political office… through alliance… through dual citizenship…..to reap its benefits for the greater public good.”
Aside from her life of public service, Alexandra lives in Southwest Florida with her husband, attorney Mark V. Zakhvatayev and their three children. She is an active member of the Catholic Church, and enjoys spending her time in nature, learning foreign languages, educating her children, and tending to her goats… including the greatest of all time, Pixie.
To support her campaign, Alexandra Zakhvatayev asks that all contributions go toward her ongoing volunteer initiative with Car 4 Ukraine, a 501c3 which provides life-saving vehicles to Ukrainian soldiers on the frontline. To donate, please navigate here – https://car4ukraine.com/en-US/campaigns/50forua-florida-battalion
For direct inquiries, you may write to Alexandra Zakhvatayev at alexzpublicrelations@gmail.com
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