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 Vatnik Soup, we introduce Vincent Bolloré, a French billionaire and media tycoon. He’s best known for building a powerful media empire and for reshaping editorial lines across French media and publishing, pushing them toward far-right and pro-Kremlin positions.
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Born in 1952 in Boulogne-Billancourt to a family of industrialists, Vincent studied law at Paris Nanterre University. He took over the family business and turned it into a sprawling conglomerate spanning logistics, port infrastructure in Africa, advertising, and media.
2/25
Bolloré’s African logistics empire also became the subject of a long-running corruption investigation in France. Legal proceedings against Vincent Bolloré personally are still ongoing, with a trial planned in December, after a judge refused to approve a plea deal.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, we’ll introduce an American conspiracy theorist, podcaster & antisemite, Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO). She’s best known for spreading conspiracy theories, attacking Ukraine, promoting pro-Kremlin BS, and becoming a favorite of Russian state media.
1/21
Candace started her career as an intern at Vogue magazine but later moved into political commentary. Her early career focused on criticizing Republicans, calling their antics “bat-shit crazy.” In 2016, her blog even published an article about Trump’s penis size.
2/21
That same year, she launched a doxxing website called SocialAutopsy. In response, people began posting Owens’s personal information online. During the controversy, she gained support from figures such as @Nero and @Cernovich. And just like that, she became a conservative.
In today’s Wumao Soup, we’ll talk about Taiwan, the sovereign country the Chinese Communist Party insists is not a country, but constantly threatens to invade just like a country, while the “antiwar” crowd is eagerly encouraging them to start that war, endangering millions.
1/20
Taiwan is a country, a state. It has its own territory, government, army, police, courts, taxes, passports and elections, just like any other country.
The only difference? Its neighbor, imperialist China, wants to invade it, and other countries try to please the big bully.
2/20
Taiwan’s official name is the Republic of China, or ROC. The ROC was founded in 1912, after the fall of the Qing dynasty. The People’s Republic of China, or PRC, was founded by democidal dictator Mao Zedong and his communist party, in 1949, after fighting against the ROC.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, we’ll introduce Russian propaganda operations around military targets like Starobilsk. For over a decade, the Kremlin has used similar strategies, combining crisis actors, “independent journalists” and fabricated evidence.
1/13
First, let’s go back to 2014. Russia funded separatist groups and sent its mercenaries to Donbas, which led to the creation of two puppet states, Donetsk and Luhansk, governed by Russian propagandists and soldiers like Igor Girkin.
The fake genocide was touted as one of the main reasons for Russia’s war during the early stages of the full-scale invasion, and the claim was made even by Putin himself. Before his mutiny, late Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin said that all this was fabricated bullshit.
In this 9th Debunk of the Day, we’ll discuss “legitimate military targets”. Russia illegally invaded Ukraine, with no declaration of war, hiding behind a “special military operation”. Yet vatniks & useful idiots pretend Russia has any legitimate or lawful targets in Ukraine.
1/8
Russia started the war in 2014 by seizing Crimea with unmarked soldiers, “little green men”. Russians have been waging an undeclared, illegal war with endless war crimes ever since, whether it’s kidnapping of Ukrainian children with genocidal intent…
… the concentration camps for Ukrainians under occupation, conscripting Ukrainians from occupied territories, or the terrorist, deliberate bombing of civilians, including their infamous “double tap” strikes.
So no, Russia does not have any “legitimate targets” in Ukraine.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, we introduce Hasan Piker, a Turkish-American streamer and millionaire. He’s best known for his champagne socialism, rabid criticism of the US and Israel, support for the Soviet Union and for Chinese and Russian invasions, and for mistreating his dog.
1/20
Born in 1991, Piker grew up in a privileged and well-connected environment. His father held senior roles at big corporations and his uncle, Cenk Uygur, is the founder of The Young Turks media network. He graduated cum laude from Rutgers, a top-tier university in New Jersey.
2/20
His main activity and primary source of income consists of hours-long livestreams on Twitch where he comments on news and yells at videos. He also keeps his dog in place the whole time with a shock collar.