In today's #vatniksoup I'll introduce a Norwegian political scientist and pro-Russian propagandist, Glenn Diesen (@Glenn_Diesen). He is best-known for his promotion of pro-Russian propaganda on RT and for his articles on conspiratorial, "anti-globalist" blog Steigan.
1/18
Glenn is widely known as a regular commentator on RT, and Swedish journalist and writer Patrik Oksanen (@patrikoksanen) has referred to him as being "part of the Russian propaganda machinery".
2/18
A Norwegian human rights activist, Aage Borchgrevink (@AageB) has said that Diesen plays "an important role in RT as the Western expert", providing him legitimacy as a Kremlin mouthpiece.
3/18
Borchgrevink also described Diesen's writings as "unreliable" and their factual basis "doubtful", making them a perfect fit for both RT and Sputnik. He's also member of the Moscow-based think tank, The Valdai Discussion Club.
4/18
Glenn's actively trying to control the narrative on his own Wikipedia page,despite his obvious conflict of interest.With his account,Gead1979,he's been trying add claims such as being "famous for developing a geoeconomic concept", but other editors have called out on his BS.
5/18
Diesen's talking points revolve around "multipolarity" of the world, heavily focusing on anti-US and anti-NATO rhetoric. By his view, the US is heading into economic catastrophe whereas its opponents, especially Russia and China, are thriving.
6/18
In his first article for Steigan, he discussed how the information war waged by the West against Russia threatens academic freedom, warning that "we should be very critical of how the information war affects both Russian and Western media coverage", and continuing...
7/18
...that "it is not the job of academics or journalists to polarize the policing as pro- or anti-Russia". Yet, this is exactly what he's doing as a Russian propagandist in his articles and on his podcast.
8/18
Glenn Diesen has a small YouTube/Rumble channel where he does regular interviews with people who share his views. For example in Feb 2023, he invited the old man Chomsky to talk about propaganda in the "Ukrainian Proxy War".
9/18
Other people he's interviewed are very much in the "vatnik" category, including Douglas Macgregor, Karin Kneissl and Scott Ritter. As you can already guess, these talks contain little to no critical views on Russia's actions and politics.
10/18
When talking about Ukraine, Glenn often refers to it as a "divided" country, referring to the Ukrainian presidential election map from 2010. I can post maps too: Here's the Ukrainian Independence Referendum from 1991. Also, check this other map on ethnicities inside Russia.
11/18
Glenn's naturally talked about the Revolution of Dignity being a "NATO-backed coup d'etat" that was "not supported by the majority of Ukrainians". "Meddling" of Victoria Nuland, involvement of far-right groups, it's all there.
12/18
I guess Mr. Diesen hasn't heard about Russia's interference in EVERY Ukrainian election or about Yanukovych's plans of becoming the new Lukashenko in Ukraine:
In 2020, Diesen collaborated with KGB agent Arne Treholt to write an op-ed for the Norway's largest printed newspaper, Aftenpost. Treholt was arrested for espionage on behalf of the USSR in 1984, and was convicted to 20 years in prison.
14/18
Following Treholt's arrest, he was described as "the greatest traitor to Norway since Quisling", and his espionage has been seen as the most serious spy case in Norway's modern history.
15/18
In Jun 2022, Glenn published a book called Russophobia: Propaganda in International Politics. "Russophobia" is a Kremlin-made and spread term to deflect any criticism towards the Russian hostilities and meddling, ...
16/18
...and it was highly popular during the Orange Revolution of 2004 and after the Russian invasion of Feb 2022. The book can now be bought at "reduced price" for only 100 USD, in case you're interested.
17/18
So,it all there: Ukrainian nazis,proxy war, Russian "legitimate interests and security needs","multipolar world", Russophobia,sanctions hurting the West.. Glenn wants to pose as a "neutral commentator" on the war,but it's very clear that he's just another Kremlin mouthpiece.18/18
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.
1/22
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.