In today's #vatnik soup, I'll introduce the despote that rules over Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov. He is the son of Akhmad Kadyrov, who switched sides during the Second Chechen War, offering his services to Putin to become the President of the Chechen Republic.
1/14
For this, Akhmad was assassinated by Chechen Islamists in 2004, and Ramzan took his position in 2007. Ramzan rules the Chechens through despotism and repression of human rights, and Human Rights Watch has accused him of crimes against humanity.
2/14
He's been connected to multiple kidnappings, assassinations and torture of human rights activists, critics and their relatives both in Russia and abroad. He's been connected to murders of a journalist Anna Politkovskaya and Russian opposition figure Boris Nemtsov.
3/14
Between 2001-2014 80% of Chechnya's budget consisted federal subsidies from Russia. Most of this money have filled Ramzan's and his cronies pockets:in 2010 Medvedev said that "federal funds often do not reach people; [...] it is obvious-they are being stolen."
4/14
In 2005, Kadyrov stated that "Europe's largest mosque" would replace the demolished downtown of Grozny. Russia has pumped a lot of money to rebuild Grozny (like they do now with Mariupol) in order to show that "everything's better after Russia takes over".
5/14
In 2006, Ramzan built a presidential palace with a price tag of 54 million USD. This complex included a five-star hotel and recreational facilities. Later he closed down refugee camps in Chechnya, calling the refugees "international spies".
6/14
In '11 he invited the Brazilian winning team from '02 to play against a Chechen team, including Kadyrov. He stated that the Brazilians were not paid and "came out of goodwill", & he even managed to score 2 goals in this game! We also saw a glimpse of Ramzan's football skills.7/14
Once COVID-19 hit Chechnya, Ramzan stated that people who violate quarantine rules should be killed. On May, 2020, he flew to Moscow after developing flu-like symptoms similar to COVID-19. The next day he declared that "he had a right to be sick."
8/14
After the 2022 invasion in Ukraine began, Kadyrov was said to be taking part in an operation outside of Kyiv. Later he posted a photo of himself praying outside a Rosneft Pulsar gas station, stating that he was in Mariupol. Pulsar does not operate in Ukraine.
9/14
In another instance, he posted a video which suggested that he was meeting troops in Mariupol, but he was hosting a meeting in Grozny on the same day.
During the invasion, he's called for full mobilization (but not in Chechnya) and use of nuclear weapons.
10/14
Remember all those TikTok videos of Chechens shooting at walls? They are actually part of the "Akhmad Regiment", a group of terrorists and Kadyrov's personal army. Their main function is to protect Chechnya from unrest, and most of all keep Ramzan and his cronies safe.
11/14
Even though there's plenty of comedy and satire around Kadyrov, he's a ruthless murderer - Chechnya's leadership has an active "Murder List" and several prominent Chechens have been murdered abroad.
12/14
Kadyrov is good friends with Vladislav Surkov, and Mikhail Khodorkovsky has suggested that there are two factions fighting for power in the Russian military leadership: Shoigu & Gerasimov versus Kadyrov and Prigozhin.
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.