In today's #vatnik soup I'll discuss nazis. I'll introduce some famous 🇷🇺 neo-nazi movements and figures and also discuss why the "de-nazification" project of Ukraine is simply absurd.
First, let's discuss the similarities between Russian regime and Hitler's nazi Germany. 1/12
Both of these countries share attributes that are commonly seen in totalitarian regimes: full state control of media, murdering and jailing of dissidents and opposition and powerful propaganda machinery that demonizes the enemy.
2/12
Like Hitler's regime did with Jews, Putin's gang has been trying to wipe out the Ukrainian identity and culture. This rhretoric has been visible in many of Putin's speeches but also in op-eds and articles such as Timofey Sergeytsev's ...
3/12
... "What should Russia do with Ukraine?" that was published in Kremlin-controlled RIA Novosti in April, 2022. Russians are also committing genocide in Ukraine:
In addition to Putin's totalitarian regime having similarities to Hitler's 3rd Reich, there are also a rampant far-right and neo-nazi problem in Russia. Far-right political violence in 🇷🇺between 2000-2017 was 7 times higher than in Western Europe during the same time period. 5/12
It's worth noting that Putin rose to power in 1999 and since then, Russian police, FSB and GRU have tolerated violence and terrorism coming from the far-right as long as it's not anti-Putin and/or pro-Ukraine.
A neo-nazi group Russkii Obraz has received official government support. Russkii Obraz also has ties to far-right terrorist group BORN. A far-right motorcycle gang Night Wolves have been in close relations with Putin, and they have even appeared on a children's TV show.
7/12
This is all a part of Kremlin funded "managed nationalism" program which supports actual
far-right actors and organizations. Robert Horvath (@RG_Horvath) has written an excellent book on the subject: routledge.com/Putins-Fascist…
8/12
🇷🇺 army is also infested with actual neo-nazis.Rusich group that was fighting in Donbas in '14-'15 was led by Alexei Milchakov:
Prigozhin's mercenary army was led by Dmitry Utkin who has Waffen SS and other nazi symbols tattooed on his body.
9/12
So how big is the "nazi problem" in Ukraine?It's actually miniscule. Far-right parties had 2% of the vote in the 2019 parliamentary elections. In comparison, this figure is much higher in many EU countries. Of course, the definition of far-right is debated and ever-changing.10/12
In the Russian propaganda "Neo-Nazis" are a synonym with the ZSU, volunteer battalions, and territorial defense forces. The goal with this rhetoric is to dehumanize the enemy: everybody hates nazis, and they SHOULD be treated badly and even killed.
11/12
It's kind of ironic, that in the future the Z troops and Putin will be considered exactly the same as Hitler and his nazis in the past. If there's one country that needs de-nazification, it's Russia.
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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.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce an American national security policy professional and the current under secretary of defense for policy, Elbridge Colby (@ElbridgeColby). He’s best-known for fighting with cartoon dogs online and for halting military aid to Ukraine.
1/21
Elbridge "Cheese" Colby earned his bachelor’s degree from Yale and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School. Before entering government, he worked at top think tanks and in the intelligence community, focusing on nuclear policy and strategic planning.
2/21
Cheese quickly became a key voice for a “China First” strategy, arguing the US must prioritize military buildup in Asia over commitments in Europe or the Middle East. He sees (or saw, rather) Taiwan as the core test of US credibility.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’m going to talk about… Vatnik Soup! As some of you know, we also have a website where you can find every soup ever published. The site also has other useful resources, making it the most comprehensive resource on Russian disinformation & vatniks.
1/15
Unfortunately, Elon has flagged the website as malware, as he might not be very happy about the soups I wrote about him - so far, they have garnered over 60 million views on X/Twitter.
The “freedom of speech” spokesperson doesn’t seem too keen on free speech, after all.
2/15
The heart & soul of the website is of course the soups page. There you can find all 360+ soups, which can be sorted chronologically, by popularity, etc. You can also search for soups by title or even in the soup text: