In today's #vatnik soup I'll continue talking about Russkiy mir, the "Russian World". This time I'll focus
on the Russian idea of nationality, "Narodnost", and I'll also discuss Russian imperalism.
Narodnost is Russia's version of nationality. The definition of Narodnost came from Russia's leadership, rather than the population itself. The idea behind Narodnost is that Russian people should be ready to sacrifice themselves for the Tsar, for the country.
2/12
This led to a situation that common folk in Russia is very good at suffering & they've actually made it into a virtue.The general idea behind their suffering is that if you suffer for Mother Russia, you'll have lots of good things afterwards: after your death for the country,3/12
... after we have communism, after the "Kyiv junta" is beaten, etc.
In the 1830s Mihail Glinka composed an opera where peasant sacrifices himself for the Tsar - this kind of thinking is still reinforced in modern Russia and it's reinforced further through religion.
4/12
During the Soviet years a term called "Homo Sovieticus" was born. It referred to a creation of a better human, a one that lives for the state and for the
greater good. In reality people living in the USSR were cynical, passive and wouldn't take any responsibility.
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The fall of USSR also led to two realities: the one in the public sphere and the one at home. In the public sphere, everything was fine and dandy, but at home people were criticizing the whole system.
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From the border of Poland to Moscow, the landscape is mostly flat plains having very little protection from mountains, rivers, etc., making it geography-wise a potential target for invaders coming from the west. Both Napoleon and Hitler attempted (and failed) to capture it.
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The "enemy at the gates" thinking is very strong in Russian culture and media, and media often refers Russia as a "besieged fortress", surrounded by
NATO.
It's ironic that most NATO members join the defensive pact because out of their fear of Russia.
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In addition, Russia claims that they've been infiltrated from the inside by "foreign agents" - this gives them an excuse to destroy all opposition inside the country, including figures such as Boris Nemtsov and Alexei Navalny.
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So the Russians are used to being the target of invasions, which of course affects their worldview.
Whereas US imperialism is based on gathering resources such as oil and precious metals, ...
10/12
... Russian imperialism is built on fear - the idea that enemy is constantly at the gates is used to reinforce the idea of invasions, buffer states, etc. It's what one could call "defensive imperialism".
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To conclude, Nicholas I stated during the 19th century that "constant small-scale war at Russia's borders is necessary to keep the patriotism alive." This kind of thinking is still very strong inside the Russian leadership.
Source:
12/12
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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.
In today’s #vatniksoup, I’ll talk about the recent EU elections and what are their implications for both the Kremlin and Ukraine. Right-wing political parties, some pro-Kremlin, won a lot of seats around Europe, and this result can also change the EU’s stance on Ukraine.
1/19
But before we start, I want to promote a truck fundraiser I'm doing together with the fantastic @ArturRehi and @69thSB.
Our goal is 20 000 USD, and you can contribute to this important fundraiser here:
EU’s support of Ukraine is essential for their survival against genocidal Russia. So far,this support has been delayed mostly by Orban’s Hungary (& to some degree, Fico’s Slovakia). Now, this support will probably be challenged by many new members of the European Parliament.
3/19
In today’s #vatniksoup, I’ll discuss a specific propaganda/disinformation that the Kremlin likes to use – antisemitism. I also talk about how the Russian society itself has become riddled with antisemitism & how this has led to a decrease in Jewish population in the country.
1/19
Russian antisemitism works on many levels, and their narratives vary depending whether they’re targeting a local audience or people in Europe and the US. For example for the latter, Russia attempts to create a false narrative of Ukraine being an antisemitic “Nazi state”.
2/19
But before diving deeper, let’s look at a survey data of Russians in 2023: Nearly 30 million Russians harbour antisemitic attitudes, and 15% of those surveyed believed that “Jews were responsible for most of the world’s wars.” 38% think that the Jews have...
In today’s #vatniksoup, I’ll introduce a Ukrainian media personality and propagandist, Diana Panchenko (@Panchenko_X). She’s best-known for betraying her own country by peddling anti-Zelenskyy and anti-Ukraine propaganda and disinformation for the Kremlin.
1/22
Panchenko was born in 1988 in the Mykolaev Oblast in Ukrainian SSR in 1988. She studied publishing and editing at the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute and later graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv with a degree in law.
2/22
After graduating, Diana worked briefly for the news site . Between 2010 and 2015, Panchenko was a presenter for KyivTV, but she found her true calling as a pro-Kremlin propagandist after she was hired by a national “news channel” called NewsOne.