He thought the nightmare was over, but nearly twenty years later, “the most terrible Mafioso in Ukraine” was back.

This book is not just a memoir but a confession. In 1994, author Sergey Maidukov accepted an “exciting business offer” from Samvel Martirosyan, later renowned as one of the most brutal and indomitable leaders of the Ukrainian Mafia. Maidukov quickly discovered that his job as “president” of a newly created business was actually a front for Mafia activities. Despite regular attempts to extricate himself, he was told that it was too late in no uncertain terms. Thus ensued five adrenaline-fueled years in a long-term apprenticeship with the Mafia underground.

Deadly Bonds: Five Years Inside the Ukrainian Mafia provides a deep look at the Mafia family that dominated the twentieth century post-Soviet state and how it brewed conditions of economic, political, and moral catastrophe.