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
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."
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.
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.