In today's #vatnik soup I'll discuss Russkiy mir, the "Russian World". It's a concept that comprises of core culture of Russia, including its traditions & interactions with other cultures. This series is an attempt to explain motivations behind Russia's actions & motivations.1/17
This soup is quite long and extensive, so grab a coffee or tea and enjoy!
First of all, there isn't only one Russia - throughout its history, Russia has been affected and shaped by several cultures and leaderships.
2/17
The core of the Russian society is the "Slavic Russia". It's the "Russian soul" & it's where the language and the Russian entity was born. In Slavic Russia the idea of all Slavic people being one was born, & the role of Russia was of course to keep the Slavic world together.
3/17
The 2nd Russia was the "Byzantine Russia". After the 1453 fall of Constantinople , the "Second Rome", its traditions and culture moved to Moscow, the "Third and Eternal Rome", also making it a religious center.
4/17
This brought three big changes to Russian culture: Religion, conservatism & the idea that authority should not be challenged. By combining religion & leadership, this period concluded that authority's power was provided by God, it's infallible and should not be challenged.
5/17
The 3rd Russia was the "Mongolian Russia". In the 13th century, Russia (then Kievan Rus') was invaded by the Mongols. It was a cruel period, and many modern Russian words related to torture and corruption come from this era and from the Mongolian language.
6/17
The Mongolian leadership was authoritative & based on dictatorship.The only way to survive & thrive during the Mongolian rule was to lie, deceit & crush your enemies. After this era, Mongolians blend into Russian population and their characteristics can still be seen today.
7/17
The 4th Russia was the "Chaotic Russia", or smuta. This period lasted from 1598 to 1613. Leadership of Russia was contested, famine killed third of the population and the country was invaded by Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth. The whole nation was in chaos.
8/17
This ended with Michael Romanov coming to power and ruling over with an iron fist. From this time period, people concluded that dictatorship is better than
chaos. Romanovs ruled Russia until the February Revolution of 1917.
9/17
The 5th Russia was the "European Russia".There was an internal struggle whether Russia should be part of West or not (Západniks vs Slavophiles).During this time Russia was consciously mystified by writers,poets & artists to create a "wall of fog" between Russia and the West.10/17
The 6th Russia is the "Superpower Russia". From this era comes the authoritarianism, expansionism, power politics, spheres of interest and buffer states. From the WW2 they learned that it's always better to wage war on someone else's turf rather than on their own.
11/17
The modern Russia should be seen as a blend of all these six remnants and periods. For centuries, Russia has been authoritarian and often led by a dictator. This dictator, the Tsar is infallible and his power comes from the God Almighty, and their main job is to keep the ...12/17
... Slavic nations together. Mongolian rule reinforced the idea of corruption and deception as the main tools of politics and power, and smuta reinforced the idea that centralized, authoritarian power is better than chaos.
13/17
These periods cemented a political hierarchy:Russians believe firmly in "just & infallible Tsar". The next level of leadership consists of "Princes", who after a while become infallible, too. One of the Princes eventually becomes the next Tsar. After this becomes the Boyars.14/17
Boyars are the ones who implement the Tsar's decisions, sometimes incorrectly.
Putin is of course the Tsar, some examples of Princes could be Nikolai Patrushev and Yevgeny Zinichev. Not the biggest names in media, eh? Well, that's the idea -
15/17
- Princes should be kept in dark so that their reputation stays clean. Some Boyar examples could be Sergei Shoigu and Yevgeny Prigozhin.
In the second part, I'll talk more about Russian imperalism and the idea of Russian nationality, "Narodnost".
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.
1/17
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.
2/17
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.
1/22
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.
2/22
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.
1/18
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.
2/18
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.
1/25
“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.
2/25
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.
1/17
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.
2/17
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.