Pekka Kallioniemi Profile picture
Mar 22, 2023 19 tweets 10 min read Read on X
In today's #vatniksoup, I'll introduce an ex-video game streamer and gamer turned-propagandist, Mike "iEarlGrey" Jones. He's best-known for transforming his gaming-related YouTube channel into Kremlin propaganda instrument. Jones has been residing in Russia since 2018.

1/18
To understand the vatnik-y background of Mr. Jones, we have to go way back to his game streaming days and also take a quick look at his dating history. Jones was (is?) an avid gamer who focused on strategy games made by a company called Wargaming.

2/18
Wargaming is a company known for their war strategy games such as World of Tanks and World of Warships. In his streaming career, Mike focused on the latter and was kind of a "big name" in that scene.

3/18
Wargaming was founded in Belarus in 1998 by Victor Kislyi. As is tradition in both big Russia and little Russia (i.e. Belarus), the headquarters of the company was soon moved to Nicosia, Cyprus.

4/18
In Feb 2022, the creative director of Wargaming Sergey Burkatovskiy was fired for supporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The company later condemned the war and claimed their support for Ukraine.

5/18
At the beginning of Jun, 2018, Jones moved to St. Petersburg, allegedly to start at his new job at Wargaming. In Aug, 2018 he introduced her future Russian wife for the first time for the larger audience. They were married in 2020.

6/18
In Jan, 2022, he appeared to have abandoned his support for the company and announced his support for the Russian "traditional values", as he published a video titled "WGNA [Wargaming North America] Go Woke Go Broke".

7/18
Then the invasion started, and his YouTube channel had a complete overhaul, as it started publishing literal Kremlin propaganda such as RT-produced documentaries. By doing this, Jones was actually circumventing the EU ban on RT.

8/18
He also started publishing commentaries on issues like McDonalds leaving Russia, evidence on "Ukrainian plans for attacking Crimea" in early 2022 (BTW, those documents look like they were photoshopped by my late grandma, God rest her soul),and the "economic fall of the West".9/18
He's also done interviews with "independent journalists" such as Eva Bartlett and Igor Gomolsky. He visited Donbas to interview the local crisis actors and provide them "humanitarian aid" - a very common trope among western, pro-Russian propagandists.

10/18
In Mar, 2023, he appeared on Russian state-owned national TV channel Zvezda with Florida Man and ex-cop turned-propagandist, John Mark Dougan. In the interview, they talked about their humanitarian project in Donbas. In his heartbreaking...

11/18
...monologue, he stated that as "Russia wouldn't mobilize him" (which they most certainly would), he'd "mobilize himself".

Mike is extremely productive, and he publishes new video almost on a daily basis. His funding model is a mystery, but supposedly he gets money...

12/18
...via his various donation channels. He has a Patreon, which makes him something between 370 and 2500 EUR a month. He's also asking money on Locals and on Stripe, selling T-shirts and encouraging people to donate to him via crypto.

13/18
Stripe is an Irish-American company,Locals hails from NYC & Teespring Inc. also comes from the US,so it might be worth looking into if he's breaking the US/EU sanctions by using these services to fund his pro-Russian propaganda (as was the case with Alina Lipp's donations). 14/18
Cutting these bad actors from their income source is the best way to stop the flow of propaganda and disinformation. Although, I assume that he's also paid for by the Kremlin for publishing material from RT.

15/18
When looking at Mike's past and his trajectory, it doesn't come as a surprise that he's decided to support Russia in this horrible war. Basically he's been part of that culture since his streaming days, and he's allegedly still married to Russian lady and lives in Russia.

16/18
His past as a relatively popular streamer with 120 000 YouTube followers provides the illusion that he's a "big name", but his recent videos have garnered only 10 000-60 000 views. Nevertheless, he is an important channel for spreading Russian disinfo into the mainstream.

17/18
He's also a useful propaganda poster boy for the Russian media, as he "reveals the hypocrisy of the West". This material is then fed to the common Russian folk through nationwide TV channels.

18/18

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More from @P_Kallioniemi

Apr 1
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 Image
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.

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Mar 28
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 Image
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.

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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.

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Mar 27
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 Image
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.

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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.

3/18 Image
Read 19 tweets
Mar 26
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 Image
“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 Image
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.

3/25 Image
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Read 26 tweets
Mar 25
Ladies and gents, it's time for some "Houthi PC small group" memes!

I'll start with my favorites, post yours below 👊🇺🇸🔥 Image
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Mar 24
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 Image
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 Image
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.

3/17 Image
Read 18 tweets

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