In today's #vatniksoup, I'll introduce a German right-wing and populist political party, Alternative für Deutschland, or AfD (@AfD). The party is best-known for their Euroskeptic and pro-Kremlin politics, and for having strong political and financial ties to the Kremlin.
1/19
The party was established in 2013, in the wake of the surge of many conservative, right-wing political parties around Europe. Throughout the years, the party has moved further to the far-right, and has taken stronger opposition against immigration, Islam and the EU.
2/19
AfD has become the most popular far-right political party in Germany since WW II. In a recent poll, the party was second strongest party with over 20% support. They've increase their support especially in the "adaptive-pragmatic" middle classes.
3/19
The party has also been connected to various ultranationalist, far-right organizations like the German PEGIDA and the Neue Rechte, and the Bulgarian Vazrazhdane (Revival). Some of their members have roots in the German neo-Nazi parties like the NPD.
4/19
The party has been labelled as a group of "Putin-Versteher" or Putin understanders, which is also pretty evident from their actions. They're actively contributing to Russian disinformation campaigns and propaganda, and they've criticized many of EU's actions against Russia.
5/19
In 2017, three AfD members received a sponsored flight on a private jet to Moscow. The members claimed that the trip was not "party business". In 2021, other three AfD members, including AfD co-chairwoman Alice Weidel, visited Moscow to "normalize" Russian-German relations.
6/19
In Mar 2019, then AfD co-leader Alexander Gauland gave an interview to Komsomolskaya Pravda, in which he called the conflict in Ukraine an "internal matter", and that the party is strongly against any economic sanctions against Russia.
7/19
In Sep 2022, five members of AfD were planning to visit the Russia-controlled region of Donbas, Ukraine. The trip was allegedly organized by Russia, but was eventually cancelled due to the harsh criticism and public outcry they received.
8/19
In Feb 2023, AfD member @SteffenKotre was guest at Solovyov's propaganda show, where he claimed that "ordinary Germans" don't want to send military aid to Russia, and it's only the mainstream media that's pushing this narrative so they could turn people against Russia.
9/19
The party head, Tino Chrupalla, has claimed that the US "provoked Russia" and is at least partly responsible for the war in Ukraine. He even used the Russian propaganda phrase "The Americans are fighting on Ukraine territory until the last Ukrainian is dead."
10/19
AfD was also heavily involved in organizing so-called antiwar demonstrations in Feb 2023. WaPo found out that this "antiwar coalition" was one the Kremlin's goals, after Putin had illegally annexed the four Ukrainian Oblasts in Sep 2022.
11/19
Russian political strategists were ordered by the Kremlin officials to build an antiwar sentiment in Germany in order to reduce the support for Ukraine with slogans like "Buy gas, not war" and "Ukraine wants war, Germany want peace".
12/19
The documents also revealed that several AfD members were in contact with Russian officials while these plans were being laid out.These rallies were organized throughout Germany,from a small town of Neustrelitz to Stuttgart & were strongly supported by Russia's fifth column.13/19
At these demonstrations, the leader of the Thuringian branch of the AfD, Björn Höcke, claimed that it was the US that ousted Yanukovych in 2014, that the conflict is a "civil war" against Eastern Ukrainians & that Russia merely wants to "free" these people from oppression.
14/19
One of Russia's lap dogs in AfD is Markus Frohnmaimer, who was specifically mentioned in a Russian document. "We will have our own absolutely controlled MP in the Bundestag," it declared, while referring to him. The document also requested for "material and media support".
15/19
One of AfD's MEPs, Maximillian Krah, is a popular face on China's Global Times, a propaganda outlet controlled by the CCP, and he's also often appeared on the Kremlin's mouthpiece, TASS. He's also strongly opposed the sanctions against Russia.
16/19
In Aug 2023, The Insider and Spiegel published a joint investigation on Russian Vladimir Sergienko, who had funneled money and instructions to AfD politicians on a constitutional complaint in Germany against its supplies of weapons to Ukraine:
And AfD's internal documents have confirmed all this: the party condemns the aid to Ukraine and the sanctions against Russia, and describes the US as a "global hegemony" and as an "alien power". In addition, the document calls for closer collaboration with China and Iran.
18/19
To conclude: AfD is a far-right populist party that's gaining a lot of traction and popularity in German politics. At the same time, they're acting on behalf of the Kremlin and Vladimir Putin, and often try to undermine any German humanitarian or military aid to Ukraine.
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.