On Lawfare Daily, @benjaminwittes.lawfaremedia.org spoke to @emilyehoge.bsky.social about her articles in Lawfare about Russian mobsters being sent to the war in Ukraine and how it may be altering the Russian social contract.

Lesia Bidochko and Oleksandr Siedin: Homophobia has taken center stage in Russia’s ideological presentation, not for its positive meaning to the regime, but as a moral argument for existential confrontation and escalation with the West. commons.com.ua/en/gomofobiy...

WOW this is wild

an FBI official says the alleged NBA gambling ring involves the "Toronto Rangers" (not a real team), which doesn't exactly inspire confidence in the quality of their investigation

MAFIA BASKETBALL

Wrote about organized crime and Russia's war in Ukraine for Lawfare!

Patriot Front and Active Clubs are working with a Russian fight promoter to sell pay-per-view tickets to its fight club events. The article includes previously unidentified PF/AC guys like Thomas Denton a former member of the accelerationist group the Base. 1/4 www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Semyon Karmanov, the intellectually disabled man recruited into Russia's army from prison through a service contract he couldn't even read, was killed in Ukraine last August. His mother and sister are convinced that he enlisted without understanding what he was signing. zona.media/news/2025/10...

As a historian of masculinities, I can confirm that life truly is mostly about Buffalo Wild Wings

A service that uses AI to generate “farewell videos” of soldiers killed in the war in Ukraine has been gaining popularity among Russian users. The clips show soldiers embracing their loved ones before ascending towards heaven or turning into birds. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

In its invasion of Ukraine, the Russian government has so far tried to avoid a general mobilization, turning to convicts to fill its ranks in return for pardons. @emilyehoge.bsky.social evaluates the implications of releasing these individuals back into Russian society.

On July 3, Russia became the first country to officially recognize the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan. Emily Hoge explains how Russia's relationship with the Taliban has evolved in the shadow of the Soviet-Afghan war. www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-...