Post

How to get URL link on X (Twitter) App

On the Twitter thread, click on or icon on the bottom
Click again on or Share Via icon
Click on Copy Link to Tweet
Paste it above and click "Unroll Thread"!
More info at Twitter Help

Vatnik Soup

@P_Kallioniemi

Aug 2, 2023 • 21 tweets • 11 min read • Read on X

Scrolly

In today's #vatniksoup, I'll introduce an Italian sociologist, academic and talk show host, Alessandro Orsini (@orsiniufficiale). He's best-known for his pro-Kremlin & anti-NATO/Ukraine comments on the Russo-Ukrainian War on Italy's public broadcasting TV channel, @raitre.

1/18

Orsini hails from the academic world, and his currently working as the director and founder of the LUISS Observatory on International Security. His work has focused on the sociology of terrorism, an important topic that has absolute nothing to do with the war in Ukraine.

2/18

Embarrassed by the Orsini's comments, LUISS University initially issued a statement on Mar 2022, reiterating its "full solidarity with the Ukrainian people" and distance itself from Orsini.

3/18

Before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in Feb 2022, Alex was a minor character in the media world - you know, one of those experts that gets called on talk shows whenever his "expertise" is needed on a topic. But after the attack, his controversial, pro-Kremlin...

4/18

...polemic became extremely popular. The narrative was the same as every other vatnik expert: appeal to pacifism, antiwar attitude, denounce of NATO and calling them an aggressor, and criticism of Zelensky and Ukrainian politics.

5/18

The goal of Orsini's rhetoric is of course to sway the public opinion on Ukraine and the military and humanitarian aid they're receiving. They also heavily criticize NATO. This strategy has been simply copied to every Western country, and Italy is no exception.

6/18

In one episode of a show called "Cartabianca", Orsini stated that if Putin were to use nuclear bomb due to the war going badly for Russia, Europe would be "morally co-responsible". He then continued, that in order to avoid nuclear war, we should "let Putin win the war".

7/18

Some days later, he declared that "This is a losing war. Either we give Putin what he wants, or he takes it anyway," after which he continued that Russia will continue to advance & that instead of sending weapons,Italy should build "two huge hospitals" for Ukrainian children.8/18

He's also stated that he prefers to "children live in a dictatorship than die under bombs in the name of democracy". Basically his argument justifies the use of nuclear blackmail, making it a viable strategy for countries like North Korea and China.

9/18

https://twitter.com/P_Kallioniemi/status/1611980244252258304

Alex has spread the "genocide in Donbas" BS and on one occasion stated that "anyone who says that Russia should withdraw is an imbecile, an idiot," and that if they do, Ukraine will continue "slaughtering civilians in Donbas."

10/18 https://t.co/Txwg6z1xBS

https://twitter.com/P_Kallioniemi/status/1611980244252258304

He even lied about being in contact with "the mothers from Mariupol", who allegedly told him they want Ukraine to surrender.

Orsini's called the conflict "a local confrontation" caused by NATO expansion.

11/18

When Russians fled Kherson, Alex was injecting vast amounts of copium, suggesting that Russia was actually "conducting a high-level organizational and logistical operation." "It was the Russian army itself that left the city without a fight," he then concluded.

12/18

He portrays Russia as the party that's constantly offering an olive branch, suggesting that they're the ones offering peace negotiations. Which is technically true, as Putin and most vatniks started talking about peace after Russia annexed the four Ukrainian oblasts.

13/18

Like so many others, Orsini was forecasting a "terrible Christmas" for Europeans as Russia turned off their gas pipes and stopped their oil deliveries. He blamed Zelensky for all this, stating that he's making "very serious mistakes" by not giving Putin what he wants.

14/18

Alessandro's main channel for propaganda is his YouTube channel. He spreads his BS to his 74 000 followers, posting his analysis around once a week. For some reason, he doesn't condemn Russia's genocidal invasion, but only talks about the "mistakes" made by the West.

15/18

Alessandro, wouldn't it be time condemn Putin and Russia for their illegal war? Why aren't you talking about Bucha massacre? Or the mass graves in Izium? Kramatorsk railway bombing? Torture chambers in Kherson? And why do you claim to be a Russia expert?

16/18

Finally, let's pay out a scenario: a man comes to your house, kills your wife and daughter, claims that he now owns your living room and kitchen, and suggests that you should "negotiate" over all this.

How would you respond?

17/18

Orsini has been doing all this on a publicly funded TV channel called @RaiTre, meaning that this Russian propaganda is currently being funded by Italian citizens.

Fortunately, Italy's PM Giorgia Meloni has shown her strong support to Ukraine.

18/18

Thank you to sous-Chef @PunishedRazzi for helping me to deliver this soup.

Past soups:

Support my work: https://t.co/R5xLjQf2Fhvatniksoup.com
buymeacoffee.com/PKallioniemi

APPENDIX: Apparently Orsini is no longer in charge of the department of Observatory on International Security at LUISS.

As of today, his profile on LUISS's website has also been removed.

@trinityaudiobot

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

More from @P_Kallioniemi

Vatnik Soup

@P_Kallioniemi

Jul 11

In today’s Vatnik Soup, we introduce Jean-Luc Mélenchon, a French far-left politician. He’s best known for founding the party La France Insoumise (“Unsubmissive France”), demanding submission from his own movement and advocating global submission to authoritarian dictators.

1/23

Mélenchon received his early political education in the Organisation communiste internationaliste, a Trotskyist-Lambertist communist group known for secrecy, rigid discipline and entryism. Lionel Jospin was also a member, and both later joined the Socialist Party.

2/23

Mélenchon was elected to the Senate and was a junior minister in Jospin’s government. He left the Socialist Party in 2008, co-founded the Left Party, then the Left Front alliance with the Communists & ran as its presidential candidate. He was also an MEP from 2009 to 2017.

3/23

Read 25 tweets

Vatnik Soup

@P_Kallioniemi

Jun 28

In today’s Vatnik Soup and our “Degenerate Russia” series, we’ll discuss what kind of lowlifes sink low enough to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, lie on Russia’s behalf, promote Russian BS, and even gather in Moscow or St. Petersburg to help the Kremlin wage its war.

1/21

https://x.com/P_Kallioniemi/status/1902351629258547584

For over a decade now and as part of their “firehose of falsehood” propaganda strategy, Russia has been spreading false narratives targeting right-wing/conservative audiences, portraying Russia as a bastion of Christian, traditional, family values.

Of course, it’s all BS.

2/21

https://x.com/P_Kallioniemi/status/1902351629258547584

https://x.com/P_Kallioniemi/status/2009956574534742311

Russia is also normalizing relations with the Taliban, doesn’t recognize Hamas or Hezbollah as terrorist groups, and deepens its military partnership with the Islamic Republic of Iran, the regime that legalized pedophilia through child marriage.

3/21

https://x.com/P_Kallioniemi/status/2009956574534742311

Read 21 tweets

Vatnik Soup

@P_Kallioniemi

Jun 6

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.

1/25

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.

3/25

Read 25 tweets

Vatnik Soup

@P_Kallioniemi

Jun 4

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.

3/21

Read 23 tweets

Vatnik Soup

@P_Kallioniemi

May 27

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.

3/20

Read 20 tweets

Vatnik Soup

@P_Kallioniemi

May 25

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

https://x.com/P_Kallioniemi/status/1611980244252258304

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.

2/13

https://x.com/P_Kallioniemi/status/1611980244252258304

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.

3/13