In today's #vatniksoup I'll introduce the head of the Catholic Church and the bishop of Rome, Jorge Mario Bergoglio AKA Pope Francis (@pontifex). He's best-known for praising Russian imperialism and for failing to condemn Russia for their genocidal war in Ukraine.
1/18
As most of you know, Pope is the head of the Catholic Church, and thus holds significant religious and political power and influence. For example, in the 21st century, Pope Francis played a key role in in brokering the 2015 improvement in relations between the US and Cuba.
2/18
Francis has also advocated for the decriminalization of homosexuality worldwide and has also been sympathetic toward the LGBT community. Additionally he has called for action against climate change.
3/18
In light of this, it seems strange how Pope Francis has acted after Russia launched their full-scale invasion in Ukraine. To be fair, Francis visited the embassy of Russia in Rome to condemn the attack, and additionally called President Zelenskyy. But soon after this...
4/18
..the weirdness began. In Mar 2023, just one day after more than 80 missiles and drones were launched at Ukrainian cities, bringing death and destruction, he stated the war was fueled by "several imperial interests".
5/18
In May 2022, he suggested that Russia's invasion was "somehow either provoked," continuing that he's "simply against reducing complexity to the distinction between good guys and bad guys". He also claimed that NATO was "barking at the gates of Russia".
6/18
In Aug 2022, Francis described the killing of Alexander Dugin's daughter, Darya Dugina, as "a case of innocents paying for the Russo-Ukrainian War". Ukraine criticized this, stating that Dugina was "one of ideologists of (Russian) imperialism" and not an innocent victim.
7/18
In Nov 2022, Francis gave an interview to Christian magazine called America. When asked about his "seeming unwillingness to directly criticize Russia," and why he was "preferring instead to speak more generally of the need for an end to war, an end to mercenary activity...
8/18
...rather than Russian attacks," he stated that "Generally, the cruelest are perhaps those who are of Russia but are not of the Russian tradition, such as the Chechens, the Buryati and so on."
9/18
These utterly racist remarks reduced the Kremlin's responsibility on the atrocities in Ukraine, maybe somehow suggesting that the soldiers from the big cities don't commit any war crimes. He's also pondered whether it's "right for Western powers to arm Ukraine."
10/18
In Aug 2023, the Pope sent a video greeting to the All-Russian Meeting of Catholic Youth in St Petersburg. During the speech, he addressed the youth by saying that "You are the descendants of great Russia: the great Russia of Saints, rulers, the great Russia of Peter I,...
11/18
..Catherine II, that empire – educated, great culture and great humanity." These legacies have often been used by Putin as a justification for his brutal war in Ukraine, and it's yet another tone-deaf statement from Francis regarding the war in Ukraine.
12/18
Francis' efforts to bring Russia closer to the Vatican began already in Feb 2016, when he met with Russia's Patriarch Kirill in Havana, Cuba. This was the first time leaders of the Catholic Church and the Moscow Patriarchate met, ...
13/18
... and it was a big propaganda win for both Kirill and the Kremlin. At this time, Russia was already waging war in both Syria and in Ukraine, and some considered this meeting to "indirectly give a boost to Mr. Putin," and his imperialistic war efforts.
14/18
It is of course common knowledge that Patriarch Kirill AKA Vladimir Mikhailovich Gundyayev is not the holiest of men. In fact he used to be part of the KGB. Also, his fortune is estimated to be around 4 billion USD, and he owns a lavish palace in Gelendzhik.
15/18
Most of Kirill's wealth came through corruption, when his church was given a privilege for duty-free importation of cigarettes during the 90s.
To be fair, Francis has also strongly condemned the war on many occasions. He's warned pro-war Kirill to not become "Putin's altar boy", he's stated that Ukraine has "a lawful right to defend itself." But these statements became irrelevant after the Pope praised Russia's..
17/18
...imperialistic past, blames the poor and uneducated for the cruelties in Ukraine, and states that the war in Ukraine may have been provoked by NATO. In the end, the former are quickly forgotten, whereas the latter are used as propaganda for years to come.
In today’s 350th Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce an American comedian and podcaster, Dave Smith (@ComicDaveSmith). He’s best-known for his numerous appearances on the Joe Rogan Experience and for his unhinged takes on the Russo-Ukrainian War.
1/22
Smith has a massive megaphone - he’s a good friend of Joe Rogan, and he’s appeared on Joe’s podcast a whopping 16 times. Naturally, he’s also visited Lex Fridman’s podcast and frequently appears on Fox News’ Kennedy and The Greg Gutfeld Show.
2/22
Dave is part of the Kremlintarian section of the Libertarian Party called Mises Caucus. They took control of the party in May 2022, and with the help of their new leader, Angela McArdle, turned it into an extension of the MAGA Republicans:
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce a Russian journalist, Leonid Ragozin (@leonidragozin). He’s best-known for posing as a Russian dissident, while at the same time sneakily promoting the Kremlin’s narratives about the Russo-Ukrainian War.
1/20
On paper, Leonid doesn’t look like your typical Kremlin apologist - he’s written and worked for prestigious Western outlets like the BBC, the Guardian, and he’s even written some Lonely Planet guides for the Baltic countries!
2/20
But Ragozin’s public commentary often seems to walk a fine line: condemning the war while pushing narratives that shift blame, dilute responsibility, or quietly carry the same old imperial baggage Russia - or its opposition - has never truly forgotten.
In today’s Vatnik Soup REBREW, I’ll introduce a bank that is well-known in both Austria and Russia: Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) and its Russian subsidiary, AO Raiffeisen. It is one of the few foreign banks that still does business in Russia.
1/21
Raiffeisen’s Russian branch was founded in 1996 and expanded dramatically after the acquisition of Russia’s Impexbank in 2006. A year later, it was the largest bank trading in foreign capital (seventh in size) in Russia.
2/21
In the early 2000s, Raiffeisen opened new branches in Russia, including in Saint Petersburg, Samara, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk and Krasnodar. After 2018, it focused on digital expansion and by 2021 it had a digital presence in more than 300 cities.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce an Estonian lawyer, social activist, politician, and useful idiot for the Kremlin, Varro Vooglaid (@varrovooglaid). He’s best-known for promoting pro-Kremlin viewpoints under the guise of “traditional family values.”
1/20
Vooglaid has an academic background, which usually gives people plenty of credibility in the eyes of the Kremlin. Most of his academic career was spent at the University of Tartu, but he was also a researcher between 2007 and 2011 at the University of Helsinki.
2/20
Varro is likely the most influential vatnik in Estonia. His academic credentials provide him credibility, while his religious image appeals to “traditionalists” - many of whom oddly admire Russia and its imperialistic nature.
In today’s Vatnik Soup REBREW, I’ll introduce a Russian ultra-nationalist propagandist and “philosopher”, Aleksandr Dugin. He’s best-known for his blueprint on Russia’s geopolitical strategy and for his genocidal rhetoric towards Ukrainians.
1/17
In my first Dugin Soup, I covered the man’s 1997 book Foundations of Geopolitics — a manual for dismantling the West, breaking up NATO, and building a Russian-led empire. In it, he makes eerie “predictions” that seem to be playing out today.
2/17
Dugin called for destabilizing the US by exacerbating internal divisions. Fast forward to today: culture wars, conspiracy theories, far-right lunatics, and social media algorithms doing half the work for him.