In today's #vatniksoup, I'll introduce an American social media personality, Samantha A. (@zukosmadre).
She's best-known for anti-Imperialism (but only when it comes to the US), and for her hot takes on the Russo-Ukrainian War and the conflict in the Middle East.
1/17
After reading the previous tweet, your first thought is probably "Who?"
Well, @zukosmadre is a relatively quickly growing social media account that focuses on commenting on geopolitical issues, occasionally posting seductive selfies and thus addressing her "fans".
2/17
I consider Samantha to be a part of the group of "relatively attractive, young women who promote pro-Kremlin narratives" along with people like Sarah Bils, Maria Butina, Alina Lipp and Liu Sivaya (@liusivaya).
Her activities also closely resemble how @Partisangirl started.
3/17
Like @PartisanGirl, Samantha probably discovered a long time ago that her looks and attractive selfies would bring her followers and reach on social media, which can then be beneficial once you start pushing your ridiculous and genocidal political agenda.
4/17
She's has been actively engaging in Russian war crime denialism and apologism, denial of Ukrainian sovereignty, "US/West/NATO bad" rhetoric, and general pro-Kremlin talking points ever since before the invasion of Ukraine began, ramping it way aggressively up afterward.
5/17
Sam's views seem to stem from the support of feminist communism and socialism, and she's heavily against "colonialism" - except if it's done by the Russians or Soviets in Ukraine.
For her, the US is the "imperial core & global hegemon," yet she chooses to live there.
6/17
She's called Holodomor "literally Nazi propaganda," and opposes any military or humanitarian aid to Ukraine, and according to her, NATO and Ukraine are full of Nazis. She's also stated that the West and Ukraine don't care about women, and anyone who thinks that is a fool.
7/17
Then there's of course the "8 years of shelling of Donbas" narrative,a story that's been debunked so many times that it's extremely difficult to find people who believe in that shit anymore. Well, here's one I guess.She also believes in Taibbi's & Maté's silly RussiaGate BS.
8/17
To Sam, Ukraine's a country full of Nazis and she proves this by sharing a UN voting map on Russia's UN resolution they've used both for propaganda and for justifying their genocidal attack on Ukraine.
Incidentally, she doesn't talk about Russia's massive neo-Nazi problem.
9/17
Sam's often called for people who support Ukraine to "take that energy and go fight for Ukraine". Now this is something that you see quite often, as some people don't realize that war efforts can be helped in many ways, including countering disinformation online.
10/17
Incidentally, Sam is doing what she's accusing other people of - she's arguing with Ukraine and Israel supporters online, often resorting to namecalling and ad hominems.
As of today, she hasn't allegedly done anything other than arguing online to "help" Palestinians.
11/17
After Hamas' terrorist attack against Israelis on 7 Oct 2023, Samantha ramped up her genocidal rhetoric going as far as to say that every single Israeli person, literal babies and toddlers included, are "all settlers", and that they all deserved it.
12/17
She hopes that everyone who "condemns Hamas" drowns in piss and claims that these people "helped manufacture consent for genocide". She also apparently doesn't like the claim that killing and kidnapping civilians are "Hamas methods" (which they of course are).
13/17
Sam's actually working as a bartender/server in a very popular, Jewish-owned bar in Connecticut. She's probably used to serving Jews and Ukrainians every time she is behind the counter.
But I suppose her boss is not part of the "evil Zionists" clan she so much despises.
14/17
Probably due to the lack of tipping culture, She also despises "Europeans" (probably calls them "Nazis") and her messages to work group chats reveal her hate and bigotry against them.
In fact she’s told her work group chat to tell Europeans "tell them to kill themselves".
15/17
She's allegedly studying to become a public defender, and she's paid big bucks for companies to erase her online history.
That's probably a good idea, if you want to become a prominent lawyer, as lately she has promoted threats against people like @drewpavlou.
16/17
To conclude: Sam is an edgy feminist/communist/far-left type that spews typical anti-Ukraine rhetoric and pro-Kremlin narratives. Lately she's been more focused on the conflict in the Middle East, supporting terrorist group Hamas and fighting against "evil Zionists".
17/17
This research was done in collaboration with The Unintelligence Agency (@UnintelAgency).
I have paused personal donations for now, please support @U24_gov_ua by donating to the #HopakChallenge and sending me the receipt:
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.
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.