In today's #vatnik soup I'll introduce a politician who loves EU money but also 🇷🇺 energy.His name
is Viktor Orbán and he's been 🇭🇺's PM since 2010.Orbán is the ultimate opportunist,begging for gas from Russia & at the same time hoarding all the money he can get from the EU. 1/11
Because of his limitations on press freedom, judicial system, and multiparty democracy, and attacks against immigrants and marginal groups, Hungary's democracy has been described as being in deep decline. 2/11
Due to this 🇭🇺dropped 11 places in the EIU's Democracy Index and Freedom House downgraded their rating from "Free" to "Partly free". The Economist went as far as calling Orbán's Hungary an "authoritarian kleptocracy". 3/11
Orbán has been in the politics for a long time,and he's been part of his current party, Fidesz, since 1993.His authoritarian position was cemented in 2010, when Fidesz won 53% of the popular vote and gained 2/3 majority of seats, allowing Orbán to make constitutional changes.4/11
And of course Viktor seized this opportunity: In 2011, he added support for traditional values and nationalism to the constitution, and also made it easier for him and Fidesz to stay on the throne by reducing total parliamentary seats by 187. 5/11
In 2020, at the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hungarian parliament passed legislation that allows them to create states of emergency without time limits, postpone by-elections, and provide the PM the ability to rule by decree. 6/11
They also introduced prison sentences for spreading of fake news (we all know who decides what is fake and what's not). By doing all this, they are following the authoritarian 101 rulebook. 7/11
Orbán has also seized control of several universities & funneled money into their favorite university, Mathias Corvinus Collegium, that'll raise more "future conservative intellectuals". A total of 1% of Hungary's GDP was spent on this little brainwashing program. 8/11
Orbán's policies are anti-immigration, anti-Islam, anti-LGBT, Euroskepticist and conservatist. Political Capital Institute's director, Péter Krekó has stated that many of Orbáns views were inspired by Putin. 9/11
Orbán's policies are anti-immigration, anti-Islam, anti-LGBT, Euroskepticist and conservatist. Political Capital Institute's director, Péter Krekó has stated that many of Orbán's views were inspired by Putin. 🇭🇺threatened to veto the EU's 6th sanction package on Russia...10/11
...just to have KGB agent Patriarch Kirill removed from the sanction list:
In addition to Turkey's Erdoğan, Orbán has been stalling Finland's and Sweden's NATO membership - these two are the last countries that haven't ratified the contract.
11/11
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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.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce a Russian-Estonian businessman, Oleg Ossinovski. He is best-known for his deep ties to Russian rail and energy networks, shady cross-border dealings, and for channeling his wealth into Estonian politics.
1/14
Oleg made his fortune via Spacecom Trans & Skinest Rail, both deeply tied to Russia’s rail system. Most of this is through Globaltrans Investments PLC, a Cyprus-based firm with 62% held via Spacecom and tens of millions in yearly profits.
2/14
Ossinovski’s Russian-linked ventures made him Estonia’s richest man in 2014, with an estimated fortune of ~€300M. His business empire stretched across railways, oil via Alexela shares, and Russian bitumen imports from Help-Oil, a supplier to the Defense Ministry.