In today's #vatnik soup, I'll discuss propaganda. Why is 🇺🇦 winning the propaganda war? What happened to 🇷🇺 as a propaganda/disinformation powerhouse?
Here's my take:
1/12
🇷🇺 established their disinformation machinery a long time ago, and a big part of their modus operandi comes already from the KGB era. Their propaganda focuses on putting a negative spotlight on other actors, for example the political opposition, 🇺🇦 or the West.
2/12
This "bashing of foreign actors" is a very effective propaganda method,and many countries have taken a similar approach after they've seen how well it has worked for 🇷🇺. Previously most countries were focusing on praising their own policies, but this method changed the game. 3/12
At the beginning of 2022, 🇷🇺 still had a big lead on the disinformation effectiveness. Their troll farms produced propaganda around the clock, and some of it - especially the antivaxx and racial tensions kind - seemed to be working well on fringe groups around the globe.
4/12
Then, after 🇷🇺's full-scale invasion in 🇺🇦, everything changed. What happened? My theory is that 🇷🇺 had been pushing their luck for too long with Crimea and Donbass, and the collective West simply said "Enough".
5/12
Western democracies and prominent politicians decided that it's time to aid 🇺🇦 in their defense and started providing aid packages worth billions of dollars. Media caught up and started defending 🇺🇦, too. After this, all 🇷🇺 statements fell on deaf ears.
6/12
Biolabs, deadly pathogens, neo-nazis, NATO's proxy war... All of these narratives were ridiculed in the Western media and in social media. Individual claims were quickly neutralized by OSINT experts such as the @bellingcat.
7/12
In May, #NAFO swooped in and started battling the online disinformation with their Shiba Inu memes. We also shouldn't forget 🇺🇦's propaganda, which was constructed brilliantly. First of all, it was all REAL (except for that Ghost of Kyiv guy and a few others): ...
8/12
... We saw children in bomb shelters, soldiers dancing on fields,🇷🇺 tanks used as a flower bed, demolished civilian buildings, and most of all: we saw their courageous leader. Already on 25th of Feb, 2022,Zelenskyy and his posse recorded a short clip from the streets of Kyiv.9/12
Early March, 2022, 🇷🇺 disinfo suggested that president Zelenskyy had fled to 🇵🇱. After this, Zelenskyy recorded even more material, directly from the war zone. At the same time, frail Putin was seen sitting at long tables, far away from his military advisors.
10/12
This is just one example how 🇺🇦 emphasizes individual tragedies and especially HEROISM.Their propaganda tells a David vs. Goliath story, and everybody loves an underdog. 🇷🇺 propaganda focuses on their military POWER and attempts to DENIGRATE 🇺🇦 as a nation and as a culture. 11/12
To conclude, it is worth mentioning that 🇷🇺 propaganda probably works really well in 🇷🇺. Two-thirds of Russia relies on state TV for their news. Their top propagandist Vladimir Solovyov spews out propaganda and outright lies daily, like this:
In today’s Vatnik Soup REBREW, I’ll introduce a bank that is well-known in both Austria and Russia: Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) and its Russian subsidiary, AO Raiffeisen. It is one of the few foreign banks that still does business in Russia.
1/21
Raiffeisen’s Russian branch was founded in 1996 and expanded dramatically after the acquisition of Russia’s Impexbank in 2006. A year later, it was the largest bank trading in foreign capital (seventh in size) in Russia.
2/21
In the early 2000s, Raiffeisen opened new branches in Russia, including in Saint Petersburg, Samara, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk and Krasnodar. After 2018, it focused on digital expansion and by 2021 it had a digital presence in more than 300 cities.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce an Estonian lawyer, social activist, politician, and useful idiot for the Kremlin, Varro Vooglaid (@varrovooglaid). He’s best-known for promoting pro-Kremlin viewpoints under the guise of “traditional family values.”
1/20
Vooglaid has an academic background, which usually gives people plenty of credibility in the eyes of the Kremlin. Most of his academic career was spent at the University of Tartu, but he was also a researcher between 2007 and 2011 at the University of Helsinki.
2/20
Varro is likely the most influential vatnik in Estonia. His academic credentials provide him credibility, while his religious image appeals to “traditionalists” - many of whom oddly admire Russia and its imperialistic nature.
In today’s Vatnik Soup REBREW, I’ll introduce a Russian ultra-nationalist propagandist and “philosopher”, Aleksandr Dugin. He’s best-known for his blueprint on Russia’s geopolitical strategy and for his genocidal rhetoric towards Ukrainians.
1/17
In my first Dugin Soup, I covered the man’s 1997 book Foundations of Geopolitics — a manual for dismantling the West, breaking up NATO, and building a Russian-led empire. In it, he makes eerie “predictions” that seem to be playing out today.
2/17
Dugin called for destabilizing the US by exacerbating internal divisions. Fast forward to today: culture wars, conspiracy theories, far-right lunatics, and social media algorithms doing half the work for him.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce Russian propagandist Sergei Tsaulin. He’s best-known for spreading pro-Kremlin narratives in Estonia, fleeing to Russia after breaking several laws in Estonia, and almost getting blown up by a bomb in St. Petersburg.
1/17
For years, Tsaulin was known for organizing marches and events glorifying the Soviet Union. Under the excuse of “remembering history,” these events were nothing more than Kremlin propaganda, wrapped in a red flag with a hammer and sickle.
2/17
One of his most infamous events was the “Immortal Regiment” march, held every 9th of May, where people carried portraits of Soviet soldiers. These marches are used by Russia to push the idea that the Baltics owe their existence to the Soviets.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce a podcaster and conspiracy theorist, Joe Rogan (@joerogan). He’s best-known for launching the biggest podcast in the world, promoting various conspiracy theories, his support for Donald Trump and his anti-Ukraine rhetoric.
1/22
Joe Rogan started as a stand-up comedian in the 1980s, found fame on NewsRadio, and became a household name with Fear Factor. But his biggest impact came in 2009 when he launched The Joe Rogan Experience (JRE), one of the first major podcasts.
2/22
JRE started as casual but deep conversations, often covering countercultural topics like psychedelics, MMA & hunting. Joe’s podcasting style is largely non-confrontational, often allowing his guests to share their views without significant pushback or critical questioning.