In today's #vatniksoup, I'll introduce an American social media grifter and supplements salesman, Scottson "Ayden" Sterritt (@squatsons). He's best-known for his extensive experience in geopolitics, bodybuilding and military strategy, and for his strong support for Russia.
1/20
Before starting to simp for Putin, Scottson was involved in the bodybuilding scene. His vast knowledge on geopolitics and military issues stems from his education at the prestigious Cibola High School.
2/20
In addition to grifting online, Sterritt has had another source of income: he sells protein powders, shakes, and such. As you can see from the photo (and the receding hairline) below, he's found the perfect, natural way of bodybuilding with the help of @MnmProlabs ...
3/20
...shakes and protein bars. All natural, baby.
But maybe the powder business wasn't very lucrative, and after the war started he found a nice opportunity in selling Z-merchandise, claiming its for charity and pocketing the profits.
4/20
Apparently Sterritt's main job at the moment is to tweet about the Russo-Ukrainian War. He averages about 60 tweets per day, and most, if not all, are related to the conflict.
5/20
Sterritt was also allegedly involved in the crowdfunding efforts with Sarah "Donbass Devushka" Bils. Apparently he was part of the organizing team for the merchandise, and stated that "all proceeds go to charities helping the Donbass."
While NAFO was conducting research on "Donbass Devushka", he was speculating that the "investigation is meaningless and no one care about your theories about our team." 12 days later a small local newspaper called Wall Street Journal broke the DD story on their front page.
7/20
He also tweeted that "I know her name and it isn't Sarah or whatever," which can actually be true in case Sarah had already changed her name to Lyudmila. Lyudmila might or might not be in the backseat in the last photo with Scotty.
8/20
Sterritt's most popular episode of his "Kalibrated with Scott" podcast was when he hosted the convicted sex criminal, Scott Ritter. Ritter's expertise was evident during the early days of war, when he claimed that "Ukraine is getting schooled in the art of Urban warfare."
9/20
Because of Scottson's extensive knowledge in geopolitics and military issues, he knew already back in Aug 2022, that Iranian drones weren't being sent to Russia, calling the claim "complete crap".
10/20
A month later he was selling T-shirts promoting Iranian drones,again claiming that "all proceeds go to charities helping the Donbass." I think it would be an interesting investigation to see where the money actually went.
11/20
Now, let's look briefly at Sterritt's amazing ability to do military analysis. In Aug 2022, he tweeted that Kherson "will never be Ukraine again." The city was of course recaptured by the Ukrainian forces just three months later.
12/20
He was also all about the "winter of death", many times suggesting that Ukraine wouldn't survive over the winter, and that they'd "capitulate when the power goes off".
He cheered for the Vuhledar push in Nov 2022, which turned out to be a complete failure for the Russians.
13/20
In May 2023, Scotty tweeted that Russia "never targeted civilians power infrastructure, only substations linked to rail traffic." Then, few months later he was sharing videos of Russian's targeting a power station in Kyiv. Because Scotty's consistent like that.
14/20
Sterritt's made fun of both big counteroffensives conducted by the Ukrainian forces. Back in Aug 2022, he seemed to think that the first counteroffensive was a total failure. Few months later Ukraine re-captured a lot of areas (see the before and after map below).
15/20
He's always claimed to be having higher moral standards than the rabid Shiba Inus of NAFO, but in May 2022, he tweeted this nasty gem. The tweet's now deleted, of course, as it could be a PR hit for the morale crusader Scottson.
16/20
In May 2023, Scotty appeared on an open mic podcast called Defense Politics Asia, where he discussed various topics, including Bucha. He cast doubts on the events of Bucha, suggesting that the West had started their propaganda push some time prior to the events, ...
17/20
...and emphasized that it was either "something that didn't happen" or an "isolated incident", just like the tortured people in the mass graves in Izium, constant bombing of civilian targets around Ukraine, and the children's torture chambers in Kherson.
18/20
He claimed that he's been "for peace" the whole time, and that the Ukrainians should stop fighting and negotiate for peace. I did a quick search on Scotty's tweets, but couldn't find any calls for peace prior to Putin's fake annexation of the four Ukrainian Oblasts.
19/20
Currently he is focusing on bashing the ongoing second Ukrainian counteroffensive, especially celebrating any lost vehicles that were donated by Western countries.
Don't know about you, but I'm getting some popcorn ready for Scotty's coping if the offensive is successful!
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll cover the agenda-setting and flood of disinformation that spread on X and other platforms right after Charlie Kirk’s assassination. It’s far from the first or last time a tragedy has been weaponized for political purposes.
1/18
Every major political event, especially those involving violence, attracts massive attention. In the immediate aftermath, reliable information is scarce, making it highly vulnerable to both coordinated and improvised disinformation campaigns.
2/18
As I’ve mentioned in my previous soups and lectures, in disinformation campaigns, being first with a narrative is crucial, as people often remember the first version best — psychology studies show it sets the mental schema, and later updates rarely overwrite it.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce American social media personality David Freeman, AKA Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman). He’s best known for spreading political disinformation on X and shamelessly sucking up to Trump, Putin, and other authoritarian leaders.
1/22
David is a textbook example of someone profiting from MAGA grievance politics. He uses extreme, provocative language to farm engagement on X and never hesitates to flatter anyone who might give him more exposure — or money.
2/22
But David wasn’t always like this. At some point, in his mid-40s, he even tried a real job: he trained to become a cop. He spent three years with the Metro Transit PD, but after that he either got fired or quit, and never looked back.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce a Russian-Estonian businessman, Oleg Ossinovski. He is best-known for his deep ties to Russian rail and energy networks, shady cross-border dealings, and for channeling his wealth into Estonian politics.
1/14
Oleg made his fortune via Spacecom Trans & Skinest Rail, both deeply tied to Russia’s rail system. Most of this is through Globaltrans Investments PLC, a Cyprus-based firm with 62% held via Spacecom and tens of millions in yearly profits.
2/14
Ossinovski’s Russian-linked ventures made him Estonia’s richest man in 2014, with an estimated fortune of ~€300M. His business empire stretched across railways, oil via Alexela shares, and Russian bitumen imports from Help-Oil, a supplier to the Defense Ministry.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce a Swiss/French writer, Alain Bonnet, aka Alain Soral (@officielsoral). He’s best known for his rabid antisemitism and for his pathetic support for all the worst authoritarian regimes from Russia to North Korea.
1/22
Alain’s childhood was problematic, as his father has been characterized as a “narcissistic pervert” who beat his children and did jail time for fraud. Alain himself has said he was “programmed to be a monster.” Born Alain Bonnet, he took the stage name of his sister,…
2/22
… actress Agnès Soral. She wasn’t too happy about this, commenting “How would you like to be called Agnès Hitler?”. Like many grifters, he became a pick-up/seduction artist writer, à la late Gonzalo Lira, writing books and even making a B-movie, “Confessions d’un dragueur”.
3/22
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.