In today's #vatniksoup, I'll introduce a Russian-Norwegian mercenary, Yan Petrovsky AKA Voislav Torden AKA "Slavyan". He's best-known as the co-founder of the Rusich Group,for committing war crimes in Ukraine, and for trying to start a normal life after in Northern Europe.
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Petrovsky lived his childhood in St. Petersburg, but moved to Norway in 2004 when his mother married a Norwegian. After graduating from university, he started working at the "True Metal Tattoo" tattoo parlor, a shop famous for its connections to many neo-Nazi organizations.
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In 2010, the tattoo parlor was raided by the police. During the search, they found forged documents and weapons that belonged to another Russian neo-Nazi, Viacheslav Datsik. Petrovsky spent one month in custody, after which he was released due to lack of evidence.
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In 2011, he met another notorious neo-Nazi, Alexey Milchakov, at a paramilitary training camp of the Russian Imperial Movement (RIM). RIM has trained far-right militias around Europe and it's designed as a terrorist group by both Canada and the US:
In Jun 2014, Petrovsky and Milchakov found the Rusich Group, a neo-Nazi paramilitary group, which was quickly sent to fight against the Ukrainian army in Donbas, Ukraine.
The group took part in the ambush of the Ukrainian Aidar Battalion in Sep 2014. Rusich later published a video of Aidar's leader, Ivan Issyk. Rusich members had carved a neo-Nazi symbol kolovrat to his cheek. Few days later, he was interviewed by pro-Russian propagandist...
6/20
..Graham Phillips. At this point, Issyk's body was covered in burns & he clearly violated journalistic ethics by "interviewing" a seriously wounded prisoner. Issyk was later abducted from the hospital & murdered, after which his organs were cut off and shuffled in his body.
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In 2015, Rusich left the Donbas and Petrovsky returned to Norway. In a video recorded in the same year, both Milchakov and Petrovsky admit to killing Ukrainian prisoners. He allegedly killed 6 Ukrainian prisoners of war who were captured in the battle near Luhansk in 2014.
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In 2016, he was arrested at the home of a leading Nordic Resistance Movement (also trained by the Russian Imperial Movement) member Ronny Bårdsen in Norway for violating immigration laws and was deported. Norwegian authorities called him a "threat to the national security".
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He returned to Russia, where he trained Belarusian children combat skills, including proficiency in knife-fighting, tactics, hand-to-hand combat, and shooting.
According to Ukrainian authorities, Petrovsky also later took part in some traditional "viking ritual".
10/20
During 2016,ICC completed their preliminary investigation and opened a criminal case against Milchakov & Petrovsky for their war crimes and "participation in terrorist organization" on Ukrainian soil. In 2022, they were also sanctioned by the US for their "special cruelty".
11/20
Ukrainian Myrotvorets has also suggested that Petrovsky was fighting in Syria in 2017. Based on this report, he fought under a Russian unit that was led by a Norwegian.
He allegedly fought again in Ukraine in 2022, this time in the ranks of PMC Wagner.
12/20
On 20 Jul 2023, he was arrested by the Finnish police in the Helsinki-Vantaa airport, shortly before their flight to Nice, France. Earlier, Finnish authorities had given Petrovsky a residence permit under his new name, Voislav Torden. His wife had been accepted to study...
13/20
..in a Finnish polytechnic university. This also allowed Yan & their three kids to get the permit for one year. According to Petrovsky's lawyer, he wanted his children to "obtain Nordic education", and they were going to visit their relatives in France before settling down.
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Wagner-connected TG channel "Grey Zone" has complained about the arrest of Petrovsky, and they claimed that he was "abducted by the NATO special forces". They also organized a crowdfunding effort for Petrovsky's legal fund,which was accompanied with a message from his wife.
15/20
Ironically, the group that's responsible for torture, abductions and other war crimes and has called for the genocide of Ukrainian people, are suddenly interested in international law.
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I have previously written about the "Kremlin kids", the wealthy children who live a glamorous life in Europe and in the US while their parents threaten these countries with nuclear weapons on Russian media:
It seems Petrovsky and his wife are no exceptions in this sense: the former committed war crimes and killed Ukrainians en masse, and now they want the "Nordic education" for themselves and for their children. He even plans to apply for asylum in Finland.
18/20
These people want the "best" of both worlds - they want to keep their xenophobic, "traditional" Russkiy Mir world view, but they also want the culture and comfort of the West.
And at the moment, it seems that they're getting it.
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.