In today's #vatniksoup I'll be introducing a new series, "Bakhmut porridge",where I talk about life in the front lines. My source for all this is veteran fighter, Sisu,who has been fighting for Ukraine since Mar, 2022. I've received solid proof for his identity and location.
1/14
For security reasons I will be using only AI-generated images. We might use real images on later editions.
Our discussion started by me just asking questions from Sisu and him answering, if he could. One of my first questions was naturally: "Why did you want to volunteer?"
2/14
Sisu's family tree is full of professional soldiers and once the call came, he didn't hesitate at all. Besides, this is not his first gig and he states that if he survives, it won't be his last, either.
3/14
90% of the gear he's using he's had for years - basically he's been preparing for war since 2015. He's received an automatic rifle and some technical gear from his unit, but everything else he's bought by himself.
4/14
Sisu comes from Finland, so handling the cold has been much easier for him than for other foreign volunteers. When asked about Ukrainian winter, he simply replied: "What winter?" He rarely has gigs that last over 48 hours, so he usually gets to sleep inside.
5/14
For those longer stints, he has a sleeping bag and a hypothermia bag. For the rainy and muddy seasons, he wears gore-tex and pairs of extra socks - a luxury that most people who are fighting in the front do not have.
6/14
Most of the time Sisu spends training and planning out upcoming operations. In his spare time, he tends to himself, takes care of his equipment and sleeps. Operations themselves take relatively little time.
7/14
When asked about challenges, he states that the two most difficult things are 1) finding a good unit that cooperates well together, and 2) handling unprofessionalism and "jack-assery". War is hell and people deal with it differently: some turn off their emotions, others...
8/14
...resort to alcohol. Sisu tells me a story of 3 soldiers being drunk at watch while the enemy was as close as 20 meters from them.
He says that people come to Ukraine with high hopes of heroism, but most of them leave after first enemy contact.
9/14
The rose-stinted glasses come off quickly once people see war as it is. In regard to combat situations, Sisu claims that he becomes cold, emotionless, a rational machine: "In this war, there's endless amount of disappointments to anyone who tries to be optimistic".
10/14
He's stationed in Bakhmut, which he describes as "a town completely destroyed by shelling, missiles, tanks, rockets and grenades". "There's nothing but ruins, burning cars, destroyed tanks and APC's.
11/14
People with thousand-yard stares, pondering why they are still fighting for this unimportant town", he continues.
But for the locals, there are only two options: victory or death. Sisu tells me a story about how they were walking down a road with his unit while indirect.. 12/14
...artillery was constantly exploding around them, when an old lady came along, casually carrying a water bucket. This was about three weeks ago.
He also says that even though the "hotspots" are naturally the most dangerous, there is no safe place anywhere in the front.
13/14
"Nobody should experience war. There are only losers in war, the only difference is what and how much you lose", he concludes.
In today’s Vatnik Soup REBREW, I’ll reintroduce an American political commentator and pro-Kremlin propagandist, Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson). He’s best known for his promotion of crazy conspiracy theories and for his support of authoritarian regimes around the world.
1/24
Tucker’s career spans decades, but he’s also been very active in recent years, so a lot has happened since our previous soup on him, which can be found here:
Once described as “the most powerful conservative in America”, Tucker has now fully transformed into a grifting conspiracy theorist and propagandist willing to work for whoever pays him the most. It’s unclear whether Tucker truly believes his endless conspiracy theories or…
3/24
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll cover the agenda-setting and flood of disinformation that spread on X and other platforms right after Charlie Kirk’s assassination. It’s far from the first or last time a tragedy has been weaponized for political purposes.
1/18
Every major political event, especially those involving violence, attracts massive attention. In the immediate aftermath, reliable information is scarce, making it highly vulnerable to both coordinated and improvised disinformation campaigns.
2/18
As I’ve mentioned in my previous soups and lectures, in disinformation campaigns, being first with a narrative is crucial, as people often remember the first version best — psychology studies show it sets the mental schema, and later updates rarely overwrite it.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce American social media personality David Freeman, AKA Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman). He’s best known for spreading political disinformation on X and shamelessly sucking up to Trump, Putin, and other authoritarian leaders.
1/22
David is a textbook example of someone profiting from MAGA grievance politics. He uses extreme, provocative language to farm engagement on X and never hesitates to flatter anyone who might give him more exposure — or money.
2/22
But David wasn’t always like this. At some point, in his mid-40s, he even tried a real job: he trained to become a cop. He spent three years with the Metro Transit PD, but after that he either got fired or quit, and never looked back.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce a Russian-Estonian businessman, Oleg Ossinovski. He is best-known for his deep ties to Russian rail and energy networks, shady cross-border dealings, and for channeling his wealth into Estonian politics.
1/14
Oleg made his fortune via Spacecom Trans & Skinest Rail, both deeply tied to Russia’s rail system. Most of this is through Globaltrans Investments PLC, a Cyprus-based firm with 62% held via Spacecom and tens of millions in yearly profits.
2/14
Ossinovski’s Russian-linked ventures made him Estonia’s richest man in 2014, with an estimated fortune of ~€300M. His business empire stretched across railways, oil via Alexela shares, and Russian bitumen imports from Help-Oil, a supplier to the Defense Ministry.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce a Swiss/French writer, Alain Bonnet, aka Alain Soral (@officielsoral). He’s best known for his rabid antisemitism and for his pathetic support for all the worst authoritarian regimes from Russia to North Korea.
1/22
Alain’s childhood was problematic, as his father has been characterized as a “narcissistic pervert” who beat his children and did jail time for fraud. Alain himself has said he was “programmed to be a monster.” Born Alain Bonnet, he took the stage name of his sister,…
2/22
… actress Agnès Soral. She wasn’t too happy about this, commenting “How would you like to be called Agnès Hitler?”. Like many grifters, he became a pick-up/seduction artist writer, à la late Gonzalo Lira, writing books and even making a B-movie, “Confessions d’un dragueur”.
3/22