Caption
Russian President Vladimir Putin looks on during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow late on April 29, 2026. (Getty Images)
Caption
Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow on May 9, 2015 (RIA Novosti via Getty Images)
Soon after Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, experts began using the term “hybrid warfare” to describe the threat posed by the Kremlin to neighboring countries. But there is now widespread recognition that Vladimir Putin is pursuing broader ambitions to build a network of anti-Western states, destroy NATO, and ultimately marginalize the United States and the West in order to achieve regional hegemony and global power.
In Weaponizing Kleptocracy: Putin’s Hybrid Warfare, Marius Laurinavicius explores the roots of the kleptocratic dimension of Russia’s hybrid warfare, how kleptocracy fits into Putin’s global strategy, and the ways in which it increases the risk of a conventional war between Russia and the West.
On June 14, Hudson Institute hosted a discussion of these issues with Charles Davidson, Executive Director of the Kleptocracy Initiative; Jeffrey Gedmin, Atlantic Council Nonresident Senior Fellow; Marius Laurinavicius, BAFF Security Research Fellow; Hannah Thoburn, Hudson Institute Research Fellow; and Michael Weiss, CNN Investigative Reporter for International Affairs.
Related Events
19
May 2026
In-Person Event | Invite Only
Environmental Agendas, Geopolitical Ends: Climate Policy and Great Power Competition
Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
Zineb Riboua
Brenda Shaffer
Sam Cooper
19
May 2026
In-Person Event | Invite Only
Environmental Agendas, Geopolitical Ends: Climate Policy and Great Power Competition
To examine this emerging challenge, Senior Fellow Dr. Michael Doran will convene a conversation with Research Fellow Zineb Riboua, Professor Brenda Shaffer—Research Faculty Member at the US Naval Postgraduate School and Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council—and Sam Cooper, an award-winning investigative journalist focusing on China-Canada relations.
Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
Zineb Riboua
Brenda Shaffer
Sam Cooper
20
May 2026
In-Person Event | Invite Only
A Conversation with Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy of the United States, Sarah B. Rogers
Featured Speakers:
Sarah B. Rogers
Zineb Riboua
Eric Schmitt
Michael Doran
20
May 2026
In-Person Event | Invite Only
A Conversation with Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy of the United States, Sarah B. Rogers
Please join the Hudson Institute for a conversation with Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah B. Rogers and Hudson Research Fellow Zineb Riboua on how the United States is adapting its public diplomacy tools to advance its interests abroad, counter censorship, promote free speech, and leverage artificial intelligence to deliver more effective, targeted messaging.
Featured Speakers:
Sarah B. Rogers
Zineb Riboua
Eric Schmitt
Michael Doran
21
May 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Georgia at a Geopolitical Crossroads: Iranian Influence and Strategic Competition
Featured Speakers:
Luke Coffey
Giorgi Kandelaki
John P. Walters
Congressman Joe Wilson
Ian McGinnity
Moderator:
Matthew Boyse
22
May 2026
Virtual Event | Online Only
The Western Hemisphere’s Energy Moment
Featured Speakers:
Daniel Batlle
Francisco Monaldi
22
May 2026
Virtual Event | Online Only
The Western Hemisphere’s Energy Moment
Join Hudson Institute as Adjunct Fellow Daniel Batlle interviews Francisco Monaldi, director of the Latin American Energy Program at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and one of the foremost authorities on energy and political economy in the region, for a wide-ranging conversation on Latin America's energy future and what it means for the hemisphere and for US interests.
Featured Speakers:
Daniel Batlle
Francisco Monaldi
Related Research
Caption
The US Capitol Building at dusk on May 12, 2026, in Washington, DC. (Getty Images)
