In today's #vatniksoup, I'll introduce an American political commentator and pro-Kremlin propagandist, Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson). He's best-known for his outrageous lies and for his pro-Putin, anti-Ukrainian views while working for Fox News.
1/23
Ironically, Carlson started his career as a fact-checker for the conservative journal, Policy Review. He also applied to work for the CIA, but was denied, after which he started pursuing career in journalism. Tucker has worked for pretty much every big network in the US.
2/23
He worked for the CNN between 2000 and 2005, for PBS between 2004 and 2005, for MSNBC between 2005-2008, finally moving to Fox News in 2009. n 2016, Carlson started hosting Tucker Carlson tonight, which soon became the network's most watched TV show in its time slot.
3/23
In 2021, Time magazine declared that he might be "the most powerful conservative in America". He's also been described as a "leading voice of white grievance politics". There are no big surprises in Carlson's political views: he opposes abortion, supports right to keep...
4/23
...and bear arms, and doesn't consider climate change a threat. He's described Roe v. Wade as "the most embarrassing court decision handed down in the last century".
5/23
Carlson has been caught lying on many, many occasions. In one of his speeches, he ironically said that "The truth is contagious...the more you tell the truth, the stronger you become...the more you lie, the weaker and more terrified you become."
6/23
In 2017, Carlson claimed that he doesn't consider Russia a serious threat against the US, and called the US to cooperate with Russia against ISIS. He's said that Putin doesn't hate America as much as the liberals do. He's suggested that there is no reason to hate Putin.
7/23
He's condemned Putin for the invasion, but initially called it a "border dispute". After the fervent conspiracy theorist Jacob Creech speculated that Russia is targeting "biolabs in Ukraine", Carlson soon started supporting the theory, platforming people like...
8/23
...Glenn Greenwald who of course had no clue about any of that, but was always ready for some US bashing. In 2019, he said that "We should probably take the side of Russia if we have to choose between Russia and Ukraine".
9/23
Russian TV propagandists often use Carlson's segments to support their messaging. Russian leadership allegedly sent a memo to Kremlin-friendly media outlets that it's "essential" to use Tucker's video clips "as much as possible".
10/23
After Donald Trump Jr. met with Russian officials, asking for dirt on Hillary Clinton, Tucker came to his defense, saying that he'd only been "gossiping with foreigners".
11/23
He's supported the "Great Replacement" conspiracy theory, claiming that the Democrats are planning "demographic replacement" to increase their voter base. He's also said that white supremacy is not a problem in the US.
12/23
One of the craziest Carlson segments was the "Eat the Bugs" video, where he depicted WEF founder Klaus Schwab as the man forcing people to eat insects. Schwab was acted by one of the worst comedians the world has known, Jay Dyer.
13/23
When Joe Biden visited Kyiv in Feb 2023, he suggested that the air raid sirens "were for show". He also called Zelenskyy "an instrument of total destruction", and said that he "has no interest in freedom or democracy". Incidentally,he's never said the same thing about Putin.14/23
In the midst of the war in Ukraine, he said about Zelensky that "He is a dictator. He is a dangerous authoritarian who has used a hundred billion in U.S. tax dollars to erect a one-party police state in Ukraine".
15/23
In Mar 2023, Carlson invited conspiracy theorist, Russell Brand, as a guest on his show "Tucker Carlson Today". Funnily, Brand later claimed that "he [Carlson] comes from a place of authenticity, and isn't entirely beholden to commercial interests".
16/23
Other notable vatnik guests on Carlson's show include Douglas Macgregor and Jimmy Dore. He described Macgregor as "one of the people we trust to give us real information".
I haven't found any incidents where Macgregor has been RIGHT in regard to the Russo-Ukrainian War.
17/23
Dore did his classic preaching against the "deep state" and the "military industrial complex". Apparently it's that "US war machine" that's now bombing cities and killing and raping civilians in Ukraine, and did so previously in Syria, Georgia, Chechnya, Moldova,etc.
18/23
He was sacked by the Fox News on 24 Apr 2023, pretty soon after Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit against Fox News was settled for 787,5 million USD. Dominion's legal team released some damning text messages, in which Tucker privately doubted the false claims about the...
19/23
...stolen election of 2020. He also mocked Trump's advisors and texted Sean Hannity that the White House Correspondent for Fox News, Jacqui Heinrich should be fired for fact-checking Carlson's claims about Dominion. The text messages also revealed, that Tucker...
20/23
...hates Trump "passionately", further stating that "there really isn't an upside to Trump". NYT reporter Ben Smith has said that Carlson was a media source for various journalists who often wrote critically of Trump.
21/23
Dominion's CEO, John Poulos, is looking into publishing Tucker's redacted messages in the court filings, saying that "we’re seeking accountability and we’re not going to stop until we get it".
22/23
After his departure from Fox News, the Russian propagandists have been talking about Tucker non-stop, many of the Kremlin-sponsored networks going as far as offering him a job.
I'm pretty sure Carlson will continue his lying on some other media platform or in politics.
APPENDIX:
Tucker also shared the doctored, fake Pentagon leaks from "Donbass Devushka" TG channel, saying that "despite direct U.S. involvement, Ukraine is in fact losing the war," and that "seven Ukrainians are being killed for every Russian".
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll explain the Alaska Fiasco and how it marks the peak of Trump’s two-year betrayal of Ukraine. What was sold as “peace talks” turned into a spectacle of weakness, humiliation, empty promises, and photo-ops that handed Putin exactly what he wanted.
1/24
Let’s start with the obvious: Trump desperately wants the gold medal of the Nobel Peace Prize, mainly because Obama got one. That’s why he’s now LARPing as a “peace maker” in every conflict: Israel-Gaza, Azerbaijan-Armenia, India-Pakistan, and of course Ukraine-Russia.
2/24
Another theory is that Putin holds kompromat — compromising material such as videos or documents — that would put Trump in an extremely bad light. Some have suggested it could be tied to the Epstein files or Russia’s interference in the 2016 US presidential election.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll talk about engagement farming: a cynical social media tactic to rack up likes, shares, and comments. From rage farming to AI-powered outrage factories, engagement farming is reshaping online discourse and turning division into profit.
1/23
Engagement farming is a social media tactic aimed at getting maximum likes, shares, and comments, with truth being optional. It thrives on provocative texts, images, or videos designed to spark strong reactions, boost reach, and turn online outrage into clicks and cash.
2/23
One subset of engagement farming is rage farming: a tactic built to provoke strong negative emotions through outrageous or inflammatory claims. By triggering anger or moral outrage, these posts often generate 100s or even 1,000s of heated comments, amplifying their reach.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll cover the autocratic concept of “Good Tsar, Bad Boyars”: the idea that the leader is wise and just, but constantly sabotaged by corrupt advisors. This narrative shields the ruler from blame, and it’s used by both Putin and Trump today.
1/20
The phrase “Good Tsar, Bad Boyars” (Царь хороший, бояре плохие), also known as Naïve Monarchism, refers to a long-standing idea in Russian political culture: the ruler is good and benevolent, but his advisors are corrupt, incompetent and responsible for all failures.
2/20
From this perception, any positive action taken by the government is viewed as being an accomplishment of the benevolent leader, whereas any negative one is viewed as being caused by lower-level bureaucrats or “boyars”, without the approval of the leader.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce a Russian politician and First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Administration of Russia, Sergey Kiriyenko. He’s best known for running both domestic and foreign disinformation and propaganda operations for the Kremlin.
1/20
On paper, and in photos, Kiriyenko is just as boring as most of the Kremlin’s “political technologists”: between 2005-2016 he headed the Rosatom nuclear energy company, but later played a leading role in the governance of Russia-occupied territories in Ukraine.
2/20
What is a political technologist? In Russia, they’re spin doctors & propaganda architects who shape opinion, control narratives, and manage elections — often by faking opposition, staging events, and spreading disinfo to maintain Putin’s power and the illusion of democracy.
Let me show you how a Pakistani (or Indian, they're usually the same) AI slop farm/scam operates. The account @designbonsay is a prime example: a relatively attractive, AI-generated profile picture and a ChatGPT-style profile description are the first red flags.
1/5
The profile's posts are just generic engagement farming, usually using AI-generated photos of celebrities or relatively attractive women.
These posts are often emotionally loaded and ask the user to interact with them ("like and share if you agree!").
2/5
Then there's the monetization part. This particular account sells "pencil art", which again are just AI-generated slop.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce an American lawyer and politician, Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee). He’s best-known for opposing the aid to Ukraine, undermining NATO by calling the US to withdraw from the alliance, and for fighting with a bunch of braindead dogs online.
1/21
Like many of the most vile vatniks out there, “Based Mike” is a lawyer by profession. He hails from the holy land of Mormons, Utah, where he faces little political competition, allowing him to make the most outrageous claims online without risking his Senate seat.
2/21
Before becoming a senator, Mike fought to let a nuclear waste company dump Italian radioactive waste in Utah, arguing it was fine if they just diluted it. The state said no, the public revolted, and the courts told poor Mikey to sit down.