In today's #vatnik soup I'll introduce a mercenary, military blogger and a mass murderer, Igor Girkin (AKA Strelkov). Girkin used to be a FSB officer and he's been involved in many Russian wars from Chechenya and Transnistria to 2022 Russo-Ukrainian War.
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Girkin is best known for his involvement in Russia's annexation activities. In April, 2014, after Russian troops captured Sloviansk, Igor was "promoted" to the made-up position of "Supreme Commander of the Donetsk People's Republic".
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At this time he was using the name "Strelkov" ("Rifleman"). Soon he started ruling the puppet state DPR with iron fist, executing people on made up charges and forcing people of DPR, including women, to fight against the Ukrainians.
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Later documents were found which indicated that Girkin had sentenced one person to death for stealing shirts from an abandoned building. SBU intercepted a call between Girkin and Malofeyev in May, 2014, where the latter provided instructions and military intel to Igor.
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Few months later Ukrainians re-captured Sloviansk and Girkin and his cronies fled the city. He then begged Mother Russia for reinforcements, which was seen as a sign of weakness. After this, Igor fell out of favor of the Kremlin.
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There are also rumours, that Vladislav Surkov conspired against Girkin and Alexander Dugin during the DPR drama. Surkov was responsible for creating the narrative and story for the Russian annexations, including the one that took place in East Ukraine.
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Girkin was involved in the shooting down of MH17 airplane in July, 2014. All 298 passengers died. He made up an alternative version where the plane was filled with "rotting corpses" and it was flying on autopilot before it was shot down.
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There was a serious discussion on Kremlin-controlled media whether this was true or not. In November, 2022, Girkin and two others were found guilty of murdering all 298 people on board.
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Before Ukraine Girkin was involved in Transnistria, where he was again part of Russia's illegal annexations. He's also fought in Bosnia & Herzegovina, where he assumedly took part in the Višegrad massacres in which 1000s of civilians were massacred.
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Girkin was also connected to several kidnappings and killings in Chechnya. Allegedly he was also behind the kidnapping, torture and murder of a 19-year old Ukrainian politician, Volodomyr Rybak.
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Putin awarded Girkin with a gold coin in 2014 for helping with the annexation of Crimea. In 2019 Girkin was selling this coin because "he needed the money". He has called Putin "an American prostitute" and a clown.
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After leaving Ukraine in 2014, Girkin tried to live a rather normal life in Russia while covering the war on his blog on Telegram.
In October 2022 he returned to fight as a volunteer against Ukraine. Ukraine has crowdfunded 100 000 USD reward for his capture.
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He has been sanctioned by EU, US, UK, Australia, Japan, Canada, Switzerland & Ukraine for his role in the conflict in East Ukraine.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce KOOS party leader and Estonian crypto businessman Oleg Ivanov. He’s best known for running shady businesses, spreading Russian false narratives in Estonia, and participating in the pro-Kremlin political party KOOS.
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As a talented youngster, Oleg learned Estonian almost flawlessly, was a promising karate athlete, and landed a job at a law firm at just 20. He caught the eye of Estonian fuel entrepreneur Endel Siff, who quickly took him under his wing.
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Oleg’s father, Vladimir Ivanov, was a longtime politician from the Russian-funded United People’s Party of Estonia. His career at the town hall ended abruptly when he was caught drunk at work. After that, he went into business with his son, Oleg.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll talk about the takeover of social media by illiberal, populist influencers. For the last ten years, social media has been dominated by these voices and it is one of the main reasons for the political rise of people like Trump and Orban.
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“Illiberal populists” like Trump reject democratic norms while claiming to speak for “the people.” They centralize power, attack institutions, and push nationalism over rights. Elections exist, but checks & balances erode. This is democracy in name, autocracy in action.
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The media landscape has changed drastically over the past two decades. The Internet and social media have changed how we interact online & how we consume media,but it has also become our main source of news. In many ways,social media companies have control over information.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce Lithuanian far-right politician and Seimas member Remigijus Žemaitaitis. He’s best known for his extremist political views and for falling for a scam that convinced him he was flying to New York to meet Elon Musk.
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Like many vatniks before him, Remigijus worked as a lawyer before entering the world of politics. Once just another politician, he gradually embraced far-right nationalism and populism, following a trend seen across Europe over the past 15 years.
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Instead of real policies, he tapped into fear, resentment, and anger, turning 4chan talking points into a populist political strategy. His speeches became more extreme, targeting minorities, Western institutions, and Lithuania’s support for Ukraine.