In today’s #vatniksoup, I’ll discuss a specific propaganda/disinformation that the Kremlin likes to use – antisemitism. I also talk about how the Russian society itself has become riddled with antisemitism & how this has led to a decrease in Jewish population in the country.
1/19
Russian antisemitism works on many levels, and their narratives vary depending whether they’re targeting a local audience or people in Europe and the US. For example for the latter, Russia attempts to create a false narrative of Ukraine being an antisemitic “Nazi state”.
2/19
But before diving deeper, let’s look at a survey data of Russians in 2023: Nearly 30 million Russians harbour antisemitic attitudes, and 15% of those surveyed believed that “Jews were responsible for most of the world’s wars.” 38% think that the Jews have...
3/19
...“too much power in the business world”. There were around 2 million Jews in the USSR, approximately 880,000 of those were based in Russia. Half a million Jews had left the country by the time of its collapse, and by 2021, there were just 83,000 Jews remaining in Russia.
4/19
In 2018, Russian Levada Center noted that Russian Jews believed open antisemitism was falling in the country, but that it was artificially suppressed by the senior leadership openly pursuing a more pro-Israel position. They also felt that antisemitism…
5/19
…would become more open if Russia’s senior leadership changed its public position on Israel. After the Oct 2023 Hamas terrorist attack, the Kremlin did exactly this: they labelled Israel and the US as an aggressor instead, even welcoming Hamas leaders to visit Moscow.
6/19
After Oct 2023, Russia also had a surge in antisemitic attacks. For example, in Oct 2023, Russians attacked Jewish people at the Makhachkala airport. The pogrom was naturally later blamed on “foreign actors”, “miscreants” and - you guessed that right - Ukrainians.
7/19
All this didn’t go unnoticed in Israel – prominent politician and Likud member Amir Weitmann blamed Russia for supporting Hamas during an interview on RT, stating that “Russia will pay the price” for “supporting the enemies of Israel”.
8/19
But at the same time, the Kremlin is actively spreading age old antisemitic tropes and conspiracy theories of “Zionist globalist elites taking over the world”. These tropes and stories, like the Protocols of the Elders of the Zion and Golden Billion, originate from Russia.
9/19
After Feb 2022, Russia has tried to undermine Western aid to Ukraine by vilifying the Ukrainian leadership, and especially Zelenskyy. Several high-ranking Russian officials have portrayed Zelenskyy as an “inauthentic Jew”, and the whole invasion was justified with…
10/19
…the need to “denazify” Ukraine. Putin has called Zelenskyy “a disgrace to the Jewish people”, drunk Medvedev stated he’d “lost his Jewish identity”, and, when asked about Zelenskyy’s Jewish identity, Lavrov even stated that Hitler “had Jewish blood, too”.
11/19
Putin even went as far as attempting to diminish the Nazi role in the murder of Jews in Ukraine during the Holocaust, by claiming it was done by the Ukrainians and “Banderites”, and that “even the SS troops didn’t consider it [the mass killings] possible.”
12/19
In Russia, the “Zionists” have been vilified by the genocidal Russian philosopher, Alexander Dugin, who claimed that the Crocus Hall attacks could’ve been “Zionists’ revenge” for Russia’s position on Gaza, while urging his followers to look for “Mossad’s fingerprints”.
13/19
But long before that, Russia’s massive disinformation and hybrid operation machinery started spreading antisemitism online to sow unrest and polarize societies in the West. For example, the FSB-controlled SouthFront fake news blog has spread several antisemitic tropes.
14/19
In Europe, the Kremlin has complemented these narratives by conducting hybrid operations, such as the antisemitic graffiti campaign in France, further provoking online discussions on “European antisemitism”.
15/19
As we’ve seen, the conflict in the Middle-East has polarized even the pro-Kremlin bloc, and this type of division is ideal for any kind of online propaganda and disinformation campaign. Now, it’s worth mentioning that the conflict is very real and should be addressed,…
16/19
…but the Kremlin is cynically using this dire situation to do what they do best – spreading false narratives and half-truths, thus dividing societies, who instead of focusing on foreign policy issues like the war in Ukraine, resort to infighting.
17/19
It’s also worth mentioning,that not everything comes from the Kremlin spin doctors. First of all, Iran and the CCP are also very active in spreading disinformation with their massive troll and bot farms. Second,many of these narratives are created by conspiracy theorists,…
18/19
…which are then amplified by the troll & bot farms. We should also remember that people have real concerns for example over inflation, identity politics, antisemitism, and immigration in both Europe and in the US, and that Russia uses them cynically to polarize societies.
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.