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, 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.