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.
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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.
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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.
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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."
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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".
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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".
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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."
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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 #vatniksoup, I’ll introduce an American politician and disbarred lawyer, Rudy Giuliani (@RudyGiuliani). He’s best-known for meddling with the pro-Kremlin forces in Ukraine, and for organizing the infamous Four Seasons Landscaping press conference.
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Giuliani rose to fame as the mayor of NYC between 1994 and 2001. He adopted an aggressive enforcement strategy and organized crackdowns on relatively minor offenses like graffiti and cannabis possession. His role in the 9/11 aftermath made him a global superstar.
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This fame gave Rudy new opportunities, and in 2006 he was invited to the bi-partisan Iraq Study Group (ISG), a group that assessed the situation in Iraq. He was soon kicked out of the group due to being more interested in making money by public speaking gigs.
In today’s 300th #vatniksoup, I’ll go through some of the most heroic feats that Ukrainians have achieved since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
In the last 900 days, under-equipped underdog Ukraine has fared well against the imperialist and genocidal Russia.
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As in most conflicts, Ukraine relies heavily on leadership. For this reason, the Kremlin first focused their main propaganda efforts on Zelenskyy, even claiming that he had already fled from Ukraine to Poland. Soon after these allegations, Zelenskyy and his cabinet…
2/23
… published a video from the streets of Kyiv to fight this propaganda campaign. This video quickly became one of the biggest morale boosters for Ukraine, and it has become one of the most legendary and symbolic videos of the Russo-Ukrainian War.
In today’s #vatniksoup, I’ll introduce a British far-right activist, Tommy Robinson (@TRobinsonNewEra). He’s best-known for his role in the far-right, Islamophobic organizations like the English Defence League (EDL) and his close connections to the Kremlin.
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Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was born in Luton and during his youth delved into a life of crime, serving four prison terms between 2005 and 2019. He used several pseudonyms to hide his criminal past, finally sticking to Tommy Robinson.
2/23
Tommy joined the fascist and far-right British National Party (BNP) in 2004 but left a year later. The party didn’t allow non-whites to join and was then led by Nick Griffin, who today is better known for sharing video game footage while claiming it’s real.
In today’s #vatniksoup, I’ll introduce an American politician and author, JD Vance (@JDVance). He’s best-known for his strong stance against US aid to Ukraine, and for being the Republican party’s nominee for vice president in the 2024 election.
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Vance hails from the small town of Middletown, Ohio. His parents divorced when he was a toddler, JD’s mother struggled with drug addiction, and he was raised primarily by his grandparents. Later he enlisted in the US Marine Corps, and spent 6 months as a PR guy in Iraq.
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In 2016, Harper published JD’s book, Hillbilly Elegy, in which he described his life and hardships, and the socioeconomic problems of his hometown. The book was very successful, and it was even adapted into a shitty Netflix movie. It also made JD famous.
In today’s #vatniksoup, I’ll discuss the Wagner Group, its founders Yevgeny Prigozhin and Dmitry Utkin, and the mutiny they started on 23 Jun 2023. The event marked the climax of the Wagner Group–Russian MoD conflict, and finally led to the deaths of Prigozhin and Utkin.
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Wagner has been used in many conflicts around the world, but they came to global prominence during the war in Donbas in 2014-2015. Wagnerites helped the Donbas separatists fight against the Ukrainians during the conflict, which helped Putin to “outsource” the insurrection.
2/22
The group doesn’t have any central ideology, but many of its members and leaders have ties to various neo—Nazi movements in Russia. For example, Wagner leader Dmitry Utkin had several Nazi symbols tattooed on his body. Neo—nazi group Rusich has also fights as part of Wagner.
3/22
In today’s #vatniksoup, I’ll introduce an Amsterdam-based propaganda channel, Bonanza Media (@bonanzamedia2). It’s best-known for producing & spreading online pro-Kremlin propaganda videos while closely coordinating & collaborating with the Russian intelligence agency GRU.
1/19
Russian intelligence has been extremely active in the Netherlands for a long time. For example in 2018, four GRU agents were caught while trying to hack into OPCW,an organization that monitors the use of chemical weapons. In addition, the International Criminal Court (ICC)…
2/19
…and the MH17 investigation have become targets for the Russian intelligence and propaganda operations. These operations are often complemented with “investigative journalism” media outlets, that often echo the Kremlin’s propaganda and disinformation.