In today's #vatniksoup, I'll introduce a Russian politician and military officer, Sergei Shoigu. He's best-known for serving as the Minister of Defence of Russia since 2012, for botching the invasion of Ukraine, and for being part of Putin's inner circle.
1/23
Shoigu was born in the impoverished Tuva Oblast, a remote area close to the Mongolian border. Later he studied at the Krasnoyarsk Polytechnic Institute, and later graduated with a degree in civil engineering. In the late 80s, he became active in the communist movement and...
2/23
... in 1990 he got a job as a deputy chairman through his father's connections. As Yeltsin came from a similar background, Sergei quickly gained his trust. He eventually became the head of the Russian Rescue Corps, an agency responsible for the rescue and disaster response...3/23
..system. In case of a disaster,he would be the first to appear at the site,thus presenting himself as the hero.Russia-expert @MarkGaleotti has stated that Shoigu had a "big PR team" to help with this. This role made Shoigu very popular, and he stayed on the job for 21 years.4/23
Unlike everyone else in Putin's inner circle, Sergei wasn't educated in St. Petersburg or Moscow, and who doesn't have either KGB background or is an old buddy of Putin's from his St. Petersburg days.
Both Putin and Shoigu regard themselves as "muzhiks", or real Russian men.
5/23
Shoigu has allegedly convinced Putin of taking baths in blood extract from severed deer antlers in order to improve his cardiovascular system and to rejuvenate his skin.
Shoigu was appointed as the Minister of Defence in Nov 2012. He was considered as a weird choice...
6/23
..for the role, as he's never served in the military. His predecessor, another civilian called Anatoly Serdyukov, had tried to reform and modernize the Russian army by reducing work force and implementing new taxation. Everyone in the army hated Serdyukov for his reforms,...
7/23
..and to gain the trust and to be credible in the eyes of the real generals, Shoigu gave military people cozy jobs as deputy ministers and wore an army general's outfit, regardless of never spending a day in the army. Shoigu also wanted to decorate his uniform with a bunch..
8/23
...of medals, but the problem again was that he didn't have any experience on the battlefield.
To solve this problem, he came up with hundreds of new medals and then awarded the most prestigious to himself.
9/23
Days before the invasion in Ukraine begun, Shoigu met with the UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, denying any upcoming attacks in Ukraine. At the beginning of the invasion, Shoigu disappeared for almost two weeks due to the complete failure of Russia's war effort.
10/23
Oleksandr Novikov, the head of the National Agency on Corruption Prevention of Ukraine (NACP), sent a letter to Shoigu in Mar 2022, for "ensuring the high level of corruption in the Russian Army". With the letter he accompanied pictures of egg trays used as tank...
11/23
...protection, cardboard used in bulletproof vests, and the use of bright-colored civilian vehicles to transfer the Russian troops.
Last year Ukrainian, pro-Russian politician Kirill Stremousov suggested that Shoigu should "shoot himself" over Russia's military losses.
12/23
Stremousov died in a car accident on 9 Nov 2022, just a few hours before Shoigu ordered the withdrawal of Russian troops from Kherson. Igor Girkin agreed with Stremousov, stating that Shoigu should be "executed by firing squad".
13/23
Wagner owner Yevgeny Prigozhin absolute loathes Shoigu. Since the beginning of the war, he's been criticizing Shoigu, called for his son-in-law to be drafted, and lately blamed Shoigu for not delivering enough ammunition to Wagner fighters around Bakhmut.
14/23
On 11 May 2023, Prigozhin wrote a derogatory letter to Shoigu, calling him to arrive to the front to evaluate the situation due to Shoigu's "multi-year combat experience".
Like Prigozhin, Shoigu has his own private military company called PMC Patriot.
15/23
It was deployed to fight in Ukraine in Dec 2022 around the town of Vuhledar. This front has been a disaster to the Russians, PMC Patriot & of course to Shoigu,as Ukrainian officials have claimed that the Russians have lost over 130 tanks & APC's in the course of the battle.
16/23
Shoigu's rhetoric regarding Ukraine has been predictable.He's claimed that Russia is at war with the "collective West", and that Russians and Ukrainians are "single people". He's tried to promote a false flag attack, claiming that the Ukrainians are preparing a "dirty bomb".17/23
As is the tradition in the Putin's inner circle, Shoigu is living a lavish life in his 18 million USD mansion in Barvikha, registed in the name of his family members. Shoigu's declared annual family income during the purchase was 173 million rubles, or 2,66 million USD,...
18/23
so it's a mystery how he could afford the place (no it's not). The Insider has reported that Shoigu's mistress, stewardess Elena Shebunova, quickly became a millionaire after she started her affair with Sergei. She moved next door to the Rotenberg oligarch family, ...
19/23
...in an estate worth 1,5 billion rubles. She also got sewing, food and construction projects worth over 100 million USD, ordered by the Defense Ministry. Elena was recently exiled from Lithuania after being considered a security threat.
20/23
Shoigu's youngest daughter, Ksenia, who also owns the beforementioned mansion, is married to a sports blogger Alexei Stolyarov. Recently, Stolyarov visited Luhansk for a PR trip to support Russia's failing "special operation" in Ukraine.
21/23
As is tradition, Ksenia and Alexei also traveled around the "decadent West" and various NATO countries, while Sergei was threatening the West with war.
Here they are pictured in Florence, Italy, in 2021.
22/23
Shoigu was sanctioned by the EU, the US, the UK and Canada immediately after the full-scale invasion in Feb 2022.
The Siberian Times have reported that Sergei is a polyglot and known to speak eight languages. It seems that he's most fluent in bullshit.
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
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.
2/17
One of his most infamous events was the “Immortal Regiment” march, held every 9th of May, where people carried portraits of Soviet soldiers. These marches are used by Russia to push the idea that the Baltics owe their existence to the Soviets.
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
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.
2/22
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.
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
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.
2/18
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.
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
“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
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.
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
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
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.