In today's #vatnik soup I'll tell the tragicomedic saga of a Finnish political party, Valta Kuuluu Kansalle ("Power to the People"; VKK). It is one of the two parties with pro-Russian stances (the other is Vapauden liitto, "The League for Freedom").
1/15
Most of the people involved in these parties were ridiculed even before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but after Feb, 2022, after they've come out with their true pro-Russian colors, they are basically the laughingstock of the whole country.
2/15
This we can attribute to three things: 1) high level of digital literacy in education, 2) our recent history and wars we had with the Soviet Union, and 3) these people are generally simpletons whose projects will almost always implode because of internal conflicts.
3/15
VKK actually has a member in the Finnish Parliament at the moment: Ano Turtiainen. Turtiainen was elected to the Parliament from the True Finns party, but was discharged from the party after sharing a racist meme. Initially VKK had only one promoted theme, he fought...
4/15
...against the COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other restriction, but later Ano started praising Russia and emphasizing the importance of collaboration between Finland and Russia. In addition, the party members have promoted "anti-globalist" and euro-skeptic views and ...
5/15
... many leading figures in the party have also spread the "Great Reset" conspiracy theory. Turtiainen also focuses on religious rhetoric and often speaks of the "end times".
6/15
VKK's roster has been ever-changing & there's been a lot of internal conflicts inside the party. Antivaxers Ossi Tiihonen (@OssiTiihonen), Heli Rämäkkö (@heliramax) and Cia Grönberg (@cia_kirsikka) left the party after Ano started touting his pro-Russian and religious views.
7/15
Tiihonen was previously discharged from True Finns for his antivax views. They became the leadership of the before-mentioned Vapauden Liitto.
In Feb, 2023, the party's first vice-chairman Ilkka Tiainen (@IkeNovikoff) tried to set up a coup by defaming Ano to get him...
8/15
...discharged, but failed miserably. Tiainen, Suvi Ahonen and Jarno Vähäkainu left the party. Tiainen is best-known for starting a pro-Russian TV channel, Posi TV. It's been since closed for lack of financing. Suvi Ahonen has started Fixit, Finnish version of Brexit, ...
9/15
... and Vähäkainu is best-known for taking secretly photos of a female MP in the Parliament cafeteria and sharing them on social media.
Like Stalin, Turtiainen solidified his power in the party by appointing his wife and his appeasers in the party's board of directors.
10/15
He also appointed Nico Giansanti as first vice-chairman. Giansanti is one of the hosts of the LEVELI podcast, a show which focuses on conspiracy theories, mysticism and "antiglobalism". Giansanti is good friend of a Finnish "independent journalist", Janus Putkonen.
11/15
Giansanti (@ReaverTeknoGods) received Bitcoin from his co-worker after which he left his job as a software developer and tried to became a prestigious figure, living lavish life, publishing awful music, sharing his "wealth" and joining some ridiculous "secret knighthoods".
12/15
Nobody really cares (or knows) about the political profile of VKK. As I mentioned, they are mostly ridiculed both in media and in social media. Of course we will have similar political coalitions in the future, too, and in some countries they will prevail.
13/15
Viktor Orban, Robert Fico, Marine Le Pen and Matteo Salvini are just a few examples of politicians who are appeasing or are closely connected to Putin's regime and who have thrived in national politics.
14/15
Of course the difference between the VKK folk and these politicians is, that the latter group has had a lot of funding from Russia. But if we give these people and parties too much power, they will try and take over and reign in a kleptocratic manner - just like Putin.
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.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce an Estonian businessman turned far-right politician and conspiracy theorist, Harry Raudvere. Raudvere is best-known for his neo-Nazi and pro-Kremlin politics, for his lingerie businesses, and for spreading anti-Estonia propaganda.
1/17
Raudvere started building a business empire in the 2000s, and a lot of his wealth comes from wind farms in Ida-Virumaa in Estonia. His family also owns a lingerie business, BonBon Lingerie. As tacky lingerie is popular in Russia, they were very active there before the war.
2/17
Raudvere promotes ideas that strongly resemble Russian propaganda talking points, and has no problem in undermining Estonia’s support for Ukraine. But at the same time, he is strongly aligned with far-right nationalist movements.