In today's #vatnik soup I'll be talking about books, documentaries, podcasts, etc. that I have found to be useful in understanding disinfo, Russian info ops, culture, etc. It's by no means a comprehensive list, but I think it's a good start! Also,list YOUR favorites below 👇🏻1/13
Books/audiobooks
Catherine Belton (@CatherineBelton): Putin's People - If I could recommend only one book, it'd be this one. It's a fantastically written book about the rise of Putin and Putinism and a masterwork of investigative journalism.
2/13
Keir Giles (@KeirGiles): Russia's War on Everybody - A comprehensive look on different aspects of Russian politics, bringing together various themes and stories from the military, politics, espionage, cyber operations, etc. Good book for getting a general overview on Russia.
3/13
Jessikka Aro (@JessikkaAro): Putin's Trolls - A great overview on Russia's information operations against the West. The focus is more on IRA, Prigozhin, and Aro's personal experiences while working as a journalist for Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE.
4/13
Mikhail Zygar (@zygaro): All the Kremlin's Men - A great history about Putin and his inner circle. The book focuses on telling the events from a neutral point of view rather than moralizing. Lots of names and dates, so can be hard to follow at times.
5/13
The publishing of this book was a huge event in Ukraine, as it revealed the Russian plans to annex Crimea in Dec, 2013. It was published in English in 2016.
6/13
Luke Harding (@lukeharding1968): Shadow State: Murder, Mayhem, and Russia's Remaking of the West - A great book on Russian espionage and corruption and their KGB-style murders around the world.
7/13
Documentaries
Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom (Evgeny Afineevsky, @evgeny_director) - This documentary about the Maidan uprising gives you a good overview on the origins of the Russo-Ukrainian War. You can watch it on Youtube:
8/13
Adam Curtis: Curtis is probably my biggest source of inspiration, and his documentaries on geopolitics are my long-time favorites. I'd suggest watching at least The Century of the Self, The Power of Nightmares, HyperNormalisation & his latest, Can't Get You Out of My Head.
9/13
Podcasts
BBC's Ukrainecast - I listened to this podcast daily for the first six months or so of the war. Lots of Ukrainian voices, great expert guests and fantastic insights on different aspects of the war. A show with very high production value.
10/13
Joe Rogan Experience: Controversial, but Rogan often invites guests who know a lot about the war. I'd suggest you to listen Peter Zeihan's interview with wild analysis on the war in Ukraine. Most people dislike JRE, I've been a fan for over a decade.
11/13
Research
Conley et al.: The Kremlin Playbook - Great summary of Russia's "economic war" that they waged against the West since around '07.
Renee DiResta: DiResta has done extensive research on Russia's & IRA's info operations in the West. Just read all of her recent papers.12/13
Bloggers/tweeters
I'll just list these as you can find their content neatly on Twitter.
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.