Ralitsa Vassileva is an anchor for CNN International. Based at CNN's global headquarters in Atlanta, she anchors Your World Today and World News.
Since she assumed her duties at CNN International in 1992, Vassileva has anchored coverage of many major international news stories including most recently Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza and the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. In addition to her anchoring duties, Vassileva has reported in the field from places like Moscow, Jerusalem and the United Nations.
She was on the air during CNN's coverage of the conflicts in Kosovo and Bosnia Herzegovina, the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, Russia's transition to democracy, Northern Ireland's peace agreement, the fall of Indonesia's President Suharto and East Timor's struggle for independence. Vassileva has also covered the UN weapons inspection crisis in Iraq, the September 11th attacks on the United States, the war against terrorism and the ongoing war in Iraq.
Vassileva has interviewed many notable senior international leaders and public figures such as former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat, Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, Bulgarian President Petar Stoyanov, former U. S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, NATO Secretary General George Robertson, Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams, entrepreneur Richard Branson and seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong.
Vassileva began her career at CNN as anchor of CNN World Report, the world's only forum for international broadcasters to present news from their country before CNN's global audience. Before joining CNN, Vassileva was an anchor and reporter for Bulgarian Television (BT). In this role, she helped develop a post-communist approach to news delivery and later became the country's second highest-rated anchor. She joined BT full-time in 1990 as a national reporter.
Vassileva's interest in journalism began after she joined Bulgarian Radio's English language service in 1987 as an English translator and announcer where she would later add reporting to her duties.
Vassileva was born in Sofia, Bulgaria, and was educated at English language schools in Sofia and New Delhi, India. She graduated from Sofia University with a major in English and literature and a minor in Bulgarian and literature.
The American University in Bulgaria awarded Vassileva an honorary degree Doctor of Humane Letters for her contributions to journalism.
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