In today's #vatnik soup I'll discuss the "decadent West" and how the USSR and Russian policies has affected their culture and society. One of the most persistent narratives that the Kremlin has touted is the collapse of Western civilization. 1/12
Based on their propaganda, this is due to straying from "traditional values" and promotion of gender equality, human rights and multiculturalism. This is by no means a new thing - "the decaying west" was already portrayed in Russia in the 19th century. 2/12
This trope evokes weakly defined concepts such as "tradition", "family values" and "spirituality". Russia considers itself as a counterweight to Western decadence and this is one of their key narratives in disinformation campaigns conducted in the West. 3/12
This has led to some outlandish claims, such as the concept of "father" and "mother" have been cancelled and they're replaced with "parent 1 and 2", and that Western children learn at school that "Jesus was bisexual". 4/12
But if you look at the statistics,🇷🇺 is by no means a last bastion of traditional values.Their legislation & cultural brainwashing has caused multiple negative societal byproducts. In '22,🇷🇺 had the highest divorce rate in the world with annually 3,9 divorces per 1000 people.5/12
Alcohol use in Russia has declined in the two decades, but in 2018 Russia still had the highest rate of alcohol-deaths in the world. I'm sure that the Russo-Ukraine War isn't going to help this situation a lot (unless Russia runs out of alcohol due to the sanctions). 6/12
And it's not just alcohol: Russia has suffered from widespread injection drug use with 2% of the population using IV drugs. In 2020, over 7000 people died from illicit drugs. 7/12
This epidemic has led to another negative phenomenon: HIV/AIDS is a huge problem in Russia.
According to 2019 data, Russia has 1,06 million people with HIV/AIDS and in 2018, 37 000 people died from AIDS. 8/12
Human trafficking is a huge problem in Russia, and they are placed in the worst tier (Tier 3) in the Trafficking in Persons Report ranking system. For example in 2007, an incident of forced prostitution and mass murder was uncovered in Nizhny Tagil. 8/11
A gang abducted a group of girls and forced them into prostitution, killing those who refused. A mass grave with up to 30 bodies was later discovered in the area. 10/12
Russia leads the developed world with the worst sanitation and sewer record. 23% live without a centralized sewage system and 6% lacks a sewage system altogether. In rural Russia, approx. two-thirds have no access to indoor toilets. 11/12
As with everything in Russia, there is a large contrast between the major cities and rural areas.
As we can see from these examples, Russia is far away from the traditional utopia they claim to be. Even their "spirituality" is just another front for criminal activity. 12/12
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In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll explain the Alaska Fiasco and how it marks the peak of Trump’s two-year betrayal of Ukraine. What was sold as “peace talks” turned into a spectacle of weakness, humiliation, empty promises, and photo-ops that handed Putin exactly what he wanted.
1/24
Let’s start with the obvious: Trump desperately wants the gold medal of the Nobel Peace Prize, mainly because Obama got one. That’s why he’s now LARPing as a “peace maker” in every conflict: Israel-Gaza, Azerbaijan-Armenia, India-Pakistan, and of course Ukraine-Russia.
2/24
Another theory is that Putin holds kompromat — compromising material such as videos or documents — that would put Trump in an extremely bad light. Some have suggested it could be tied to the Epstein files or Russia’s interference in the 2016 US presidential election.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll talk about engagement farming: a cynical social media tactic to rack up likes, shares, and comments. From rage farming to AI-powered outrage factories, engagement farming is reshaping online discourse and turning division into profit.
1/23
Engagement farming is a social media tactic aimed at getting maximum likes, shares, and comments, with truth being optional. It thrives on provocative texts, images, or videos designed to spark strong reactions, boost reach, and turn online outrage into clicks and cash.
2/23
One subset of engagement farming is rage farming: a tactic built to provoke strong negative emotions through outrageous or inflammatory claims. By triggering anger or moral outrage, these posts often generate 100s or even 1,000s of heated comments, amplifying their reach.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll cover the autocratic concept of “Good Tsar, Bad Boyars”: the idea that the leader is wise and just, but constantly sabotaged by corrupt advisors. This narrative shields the ruler from blame, and it’s used by both Putin and Trump today.
1/20
The phrase “Good Tsar, Bad Boyars” (Царь хороший, бояре плохие), also known as Naïve Monarchism, refers to a long-standing idea in Russian political culture: the ruler is good and benevolent, but his advisors are corrupt, incompetent and responsible for all failures.
2/20
From this perception, any positive action taken by the government is viewed as being an accomplishment of the benevolent leader, whereas any negative one is viewed as being caused by lower-level bureaucrats or “boyars”, without the approval of the leader.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce a Russian politician and First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Administration of Russia, Sergey Kiriyenko. He’s best known for running both domestic and foreign disinformation and propaganda operations for the Kremlin.
1/20
On paper, and in photos, Kiriyenko is just as boring as most of the Kremlin’s “political technologists”: between 2005-2016 he headed the Rosatom nuclear energy company, but later played a leading role in the governance of Russia-occupied territories in Ukraine.
2/20
What is a political technologist? In Russia, they’re spin doctors & propaganda architects who shape opinion, control narratives, and manage elections — often by faking opposition, staging events, and spreading disinfo to maintain Putin’s power and the illusion of democracy.
Let me show you how a Pakistani (or Indian, they're usually the same) AI slop farm/scam operates. The account @designbonsay is a prime example: a relatively attractive, AI-generated profile picture and a ChatGPT-style profile description are the first red flags.
1/5
The profile's posts are just generic engagement farming, usually using AI-generated photos of celebrities or relatively attractive women.
These posts are often emotionally loaded and ask the user to interact with them ("like and share if you agree!").
2/5
Then there's the monetization part. This particular account sells "pencil art", which again are just AI-generated slop.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce an American lawyer and politician, Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee). He’s best-known for opposing the aid to Ukraine, undermining NATO by calling the US to withdraw from the alliance, and for fighting with a bunch of braindead dogs online.
1/21
Like many of the most vile vatniks out there, “Based Mike” is a lawyer by profession. He hails from the holy land of Mormons, Utah, where he faces little political competition, allowing him to make the most outrageous claims online without risking his Senate seat.
2/21
Before becoming a senator, Mike fought to let a nuclear waste company dump Italian radioactive waste in Utah, arguing it was fine if they just diluted it. The state said no, the public revolted, and the courts told poor Mikey to sit down.