In today's #vatnik soup, I'll discuss sanctions and why they haven't affected 🇷🇺 as badly as was predicted. First of all, not all companies have left 🇷🇺. Yale has a neat list from where you can check which companies are still conducting business in 🇷🇺: som.yale.edu/story/2022/ove…
1/8
Philips is still doing online biz,Match Group's Tinder
is still functioning & 🇷🇺 can still beg for money through Patreon. "Humane" clothing Benetton is still doing business as usual, I guess they need all the money they can get. Same goes for Lacoste.
2/8
Many sanctioned products are being sold through various loopholes. First of them is actually illegal, and its called "parallel import". Russia has changed its laws so that products can be imported without the permission of the trademark owner.
3/8
In addition to being illegal, this is also dangerous, as there are no manufacturer's guarantees for illegal
products. If those car parts break down and you cause an accident... tough shit.
Russia also uses third party countries for importing products. Eurasian countries such as Kazakhstan are common import points for Western products headed to Russia. This is both expensive and dangerous for the intermediate party. 5/8
With Russian exports,the origin is often obfuscated through complex procedures.Oil is transferred to Europe and elsewhere through China and India, and phosphates (that are critical for food production) are exported from Syria through a complex pattern of tracking data removal.6/8
Many businessmen and oligarchs also buy European passports. For example, Gennady Timchenko has a Finnish nationality. You can even buy a "golden passport" from Malta, Cyprus and Bulgaria. These people then try to obfuscate their Russian nationality.
The last method for doing business is through a complex network of companies and front organizations that are often located in tax havens. The Pandora Papers revealed many of these networks that were connected to Putin, Timchenko and other oligarchs. 8/8
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In today’s Vatnik Soup, we’ll explain the context of the upcoming Budapest Blunder, and how it follows the infamous Alaska Fiasco from two months ago and Trump’s absurd delaying of serious aid to Ukraine and effective sanctions on Russia for the past nine months.
1/20
Two months ago, Trump embarrassed the United States by rolling out the red carpet for war criminal dictator Putin and overall acting like a pathetic servant eager to meet his master. Of course, the Alaska Fiasco didn’t bring peace any closer.
Worse, the main outcome of the humiliation was to delay serious sanctions, which the US Congress, in rare bipartisan unity against Russia, was on the verge of passing. Two weeks by two weeks, Trump Always Chickens Out, postponing any real pressure on Putin for 9 months now.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce American propagandist Alexandra Jost, aka “Sasha” (@sashameetsrus). She’s best known for being paid by the Russian state to spread pro-Kremlin propaganda — and for doing it with a big smile.
1/23
Alexandra, now 26, was born in Hong Kong. Her father is from Texas, and her mother is from Siberia. According to her, she has “dreamed of living in Russia since childhood.” Sasha's mother runs a dance studio in Moscow and her younger brother is avoiding mobilization.
2/23
Since the beginning of her creator career, Sasha has been adamant about one thing: that she’s “never had to be paid” to speak of her “love” for Russia. But, as always with Russia, this turned out to be nothing but vranyo — a Russian “tactical lie.”
In today’s Vatnik Soup REBREW, I’ll reintroduce an American political commentator and pro-Kremlin propagandist, Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson). He’s best known for his promotion of crazy conspiracy theories and for his support of authoritarian regimes around the world.
1/24
Tucker’s career spans decades, but he’s also been very active in recent years, so a lot has happened since our previous soup on him, which can be found here:
Once described as “the most powerful conservative in America”, Tucker has now fully transformed into a grifting conspiracy theorist and propagandist willing to work for whoever pays him the most. It’s unclear whether Tucker truly believes his endless conspiracy theories or…
3/24
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll cover the agenda-setting and flood of disinformation that spread on X and other platforms right after Charlie Kirk’s assassination. It’s far from the first or last time a tragedy has been weaponized for political purposes.
1/18
Every major political event, especially those involving violence, attracts massive attention. In the immediate aftermath, reliable information is scarce, making it highly vulnerable to both coordinated and improvised disinformation campaigns.
2/18
As I’ve mentioned in my previous soups and lectures, in disinformation campaigns, being first with a narrative is crucial, as people often remember the first version best — psychology studies show it sets the mental schema, and later updates rarely overwrite it.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce American social media personality David Freeman, AKA Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman). He’s best known for spreading political disinformation on X and shamelessly sucking up to Trump, Putin, and other authoritarian leaders.
1/22
David is a textbook example of someone profiting from MAGA grievance politics. He uses extreme, provocative language to farm engagement on X and never hesitates to flatter anyone who might give him more exposure — or money.
2/22
But David wasn’t always like this. At some point, in his mid-40s, he even tried a real job: he trained to become a cop. He spent three years with the Metro Transit PD, but after that he either got fired or quit, and never looked back.