Cameron Hunter at OSU Workshop on Gaming and Learning in Security Studies

Dr Hunter attended a workshop at the Ohio State University (OSU) on the 28th February 2025. Organised by RITUAL DETERRENCE board members, Professor Dorothy Noyes and Professor Jennifer Mitzen, the workshop aimed to deploy new theoretical and practical approaches to the topic of games. Dr Hunter appeared in his capacity as a researcher on the RITUAL DETERRENCE project, showcasing work in progress on wargames as a form of ritual.

 

If you would like to learn more about the application of ritual theory to wargames as both a site of security politics, and as a practice, please follow this link to the project blog to read more.

Mariia Vladymyrova visits the Marshall Center in Garmisch-Partenkirchen

On March 23-25, 2025, Mariia Vladymyrova visited the George C. Marshall European Center For Security Studies where she presented her ongoing dissertation project to the faculty. She shared her preliminary insights into the activities of Russian fishing and research vessels as deterrence by proxy in the European High North. The visit also provided an opportunity to engage with faculty experts and discuss Russian military strategy and deterrence dynamics in Europe.

Mariia Vladymyrova at the Baltic Defence College

Between March 3 and March 21, Mariia Vladymyrova visited the Baltic Defence College, where she participated in the institution’s flagship event, the Annual Russia Conference.

During her stay, Mariia presented her research on the ritualization of Russian naval exercises in the Baltic Sea (2022–2024) to the faculty. She also gained insights into the College’s teaching methods and ongoing research. Additionally, the visit enriched the empirical foundation of her study, as she conducted interviews with academics, officials, and military representatives from Estonia.

Thinking Big: Ritual Deterrence seminar at Lund

Prof. Maria Mälksoo presented her work in progress in the ‘Thinking Big’ seminar series, organised by the Global Europe & International Cooperation Research Group of the Centre for Modern European Studies (CEMES), Lund University. This series is a cross-strait collaborative venture between the Universities of Lund, Copenhagen and Malmö.

Her presentation ‘The Logic of Ritual Action in International Relations’ was followed by the interventions of four discussants:

Elsa Hedling, Joint Faculties of Humanities and Theology, Lund University
Haakon Ikonomou, Saxo Institute, University of Copenhagen
Michel Anderlini, Department of Political Science, Malmö University

Marja-Liisa Öberg, Faculty of Law, Lund University

Ritual Deterrence Team at the ISA2025

Cameron Hunter and Maria Mälksoo participated in the 66th Annual Convention of the International Studies Association (ISA) in Chicago, US on 2-5 March 2025. Dr Hunter chaired the panel ‘Making Deterrence Possible: Rituals and Narratives in the Study of Deterrence’ and presented his work on interaction ritual chains in US-China nuclear politics therein. He further served as a chair and discussant of the panel on ‘Automated World-Making: Ethics, Culture, and Artificial Intelligence’, and presented a paper on ‘Cynicism and Nationalism in Contemporary Chinese Nuclear Pop Culture’.

Prof. Mälksoo convened a panel ‘Ritual Realms and Repertoires in World Politics’ which brought together a number of contributions for the forthcoming special issue of the project. She presented a paper ‘Deterrence at Arm’s Length: NATO and the Russian War on Ukraine’, and contributed to three roundtables: on ‘The Mnemonic Turn in IR’; ‘Honouring Stefano Guzzini as Global International Relations Section (GIRS) Distinguished Scholar’, and ‘Critical Perspectives on NATO’.

Mariia Vladymyrova comments on Russian security services influence over fishing industry

In December 2024, Mariia Vladymyrova was asked by Danwatch, a major investigative outlet of Denmark, to comment on the relationship between the Russian fishing industry and the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB). The investigation revealed that Norebo’s shipyards had signed three contracts for the servicing and repair of FSB vessels.

Previously, several ships from the Norebo Group had been suspected of espionage in Dutch waters, leading the Netherlands to close several ports to Russian fishing trawlers and reefer ships. These vessels had been operating under other states’ flags to evade comprehensive sanctions banning Russian-flagged ships from entering EU ports.

These developments indicate a further militarization of Russia’s civilian fleet, as outlined in the 2022 Maritime Doctrine of the Russian Federation. First, Russian civilian ships and their crews must be prepared for rapid mobilization in the event of war or a threat of war. Second, newly built civilian vessels must be designed with military adaptability in mind. Finally, civilian fleet crews undergo mobilization training to ensure readiness for naval deployment. In effect, the Soviet Navy utilised the same strategy using their fishing fleet and infrastructure as a dual-use asset, primarily for surveillance purposes.

Mariia Vladymyrova concludes that this doctrine sets Russia apart from comparable national contingency plans, including those in Europe, by establishing a framework for the military use of the civilian fleet in peacetime. The case of Norebo highlights how Russia’s hybrid maritime threats may become increasingly urgent for Europe, as the Russian government continues its efforts to coerce European states into accepting its terms for conflict resolution in Ukraine.

Read the full article here:

Fish king has also had Russia’s intelligence service as a customer

Maria Mälksoo at the Munich Security Conference 2025

Thomas Fraise at the Princeton Science and Global Security Seminar

Thomas Fraise auditioned by the French Parliament

Thomas Fraise in the Collimateur podcast