In today’s #vatniksoup, I’ll introduce an Estonian politician and propagandist, Aivo Peterson. He’s best-known for travelling to Donbas and Mariupol to produce pro-Kremlin propaganda, and for trying to create a pro-Russia separatist movement in Estonia.
1/16
Peterson is what I call a “decoy vatnik” - someone who’s so overtly pro-Kremlin that their activities draw a lot of attention (think Johan Bäckman in Finland), and the Putin bootlickers who work through business and politics can operate in peace.
2/16
Aivo hails from Ida-Viru, a region populated mostly by Russians. His father was Russian — his birthname was Krylov, but he later took his mother’s surname Peterson. Before becoming a full-time Kremlin propagandist, he worked as a border guard, masseur & real estate agent.
3/16
Peterson was dismissed from his job as a border guard due to health reasons in 2004 & he had already joined politics in 2002.
Aivo had no real success in politics for around 20 years, but his popularity rose quickly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
4/16
A few months after Russia’s attack, Aivo joined forces with a crypto-businessman, Oleg Ivanov, and together they launched a “peace movement” called Koos (Вместе, “Together”). The launch was accompanied with typical Kremlin bullshit, like calling the Bucha…
5/16
…massacre a “staged provocation”, blaming the West and the US for starting a “proxy war” and “using Ukraine, the Baltics and Poland as vassal states” to wage war against Russia. All this was mostly promoted to Estonia’s Russian-speaking population, and most Estonians…
6/16
…weren’t even aware of this active campaigning, probably administrated by the more tech-savvy Mr. Ivanov. Peterson also organized several dramatic demonstrations, like taking down pro-Ukraine memorabilia that were brought as a protest to the Russian embassy in Tallinn.
7/16
It’s worth noting that when people like Peterson talk about “peace”, they only call for stopping the military aid to Ukraine (and basically a capitulation), and neatly forget the aggressor and the fact that Putin has shown very little interest in any kind of peace talks.
8/16
In Feb 2023, Peterson also traveled to Donbas in Eastern Ukraine, also visiting Mariupol. According to the Estonian prosecutor, the trip was organized by the Russian intelligence agencies. He also appeared on Solovyov’s propaganda show.
9/16
As Koos failed to register their candidates before the deadline for the 2023 parliament elections, they joined forces with Vasakliit, a direct descendant party of the soviet-occupation communist party. The union earned a record high 2.4% votes, qualifying for state funding.
10/16
Peterson was arrested in Mar 2023, on suspicion of creating a pro-Kremlin “civilian defense unit” in Estonia, allegedly recruiting people with gun permits and “anti-Estonian attitudes”. He was arrested before he had the chance to launch the organization.
11/16
Peterson is accused of treason for “knowingly and systematically assisting Russia based on directives from the Russian Federation,” for which he could face a prison sentence ranging from 6 to 20 years or even life imprisonment.
12/16
Despite imprisonment, Peterson ran for the European Parliament in 2024 as the sole Koos party candidate. He released a campaign video from prison, urging voters to support his cause and demand his release. For the elections, he received a total of 11 507 votes.
13/16
Since his arrest, Aivo has changed some of his statements — for example, he stated that “Russia is the aggressor” and that he “only wants peace”.
The cynical among us could think that Peterson knows he’s done as a Russian asset and now fights for a shorter sentence.
14/16
I think we can safely say that Aivo’s and other pro-Kremlin candidates’ success in Estonian elections indicate that Estonia has a very strong “fifth column” that has no problem in supporting Russia’s brutal war and whitewashing their war crimes.
This may come as a surprise to many, as Estonia as a country has been one of the biggest donors (% of total GDP) to Ukraine. But it also shows us how Russian propaganda can brainwash a Russian-speaking fifth column outside of Russia, too.
16/16
You can now pre-order the 2nd edition of "Vatnik Soup - The Ultimate Guide to Russian Disinformation"! This updated version, featuring pre-order extras, will be released at the end of February 2025.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce a Russian politician and First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Administration of Russia, Sergey Kiriyenko. He’s best known for running both domestic and foreign disinformation and propaganda operations for the Kremlin.
1/20
On paper, and in photos, Kiriyenko is just as boring as most of the Kremlin’s “political technologists”: between 2005-2016 he headed the Rosatom nuclear energy company, but later played a leading role in the governance of Russia-occupied territories in Ukraine.
2/20
What is a political technologist? In Russia, they’re spin doctors & propaganda architects who shape opinion, control narratives, and manage elections — often by faking opposition, staging events, and spreading disinfo to maintain Putin’s power and the illusion of democracy.
Let me show you how a Pakistani (or Indian, they're usually the same) AI slop farm/scam operates. The account @designbonsay is a prime example: a relatively attractive, AI-generated profile picture and a ChatGPT-style profile description are the first red flags.
1/5
The profile's posts are just generic engagement farming, usually using AI-generated photos of celebrities or relatively attractive women.
These posts are often emotionally loaded and ask the user to interact with them ("like and share if you agree!").
2/5
Then there's the monetization part. This particular account sells "pencil art", which again are just AI-generated slop.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce an American lawyer and politician, Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee). He’s best-known for opposing the aid to Ukraine, undermining NATO by calling the US to withdraw from the alliance, and for fighting with a bunch of braindead dogs online.
1/21
Like many of the most vile vatniks out there, “Based Mike” is a lawyer by profession. He hails from the holy land of Mormons, Utah, where he faces little political competition, allowing him to make the most outrageous claims online without risking his Senate seat.
2/21
Before becoming a senator, Mike fought to let a nuclear waste company dump Italian radioactive waste in Utah, arguing it was fine if they just diluted it. The state said no, the public revolted, and the courts told poor Mikey to sit down.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce an American national security policy professional and the current under secretary of defense for policy, Elbridge Colby (@ElbridgeColby). He’s best-known for fighting with cartoon dogs online and for halting military aid to Ukraine.
1/21
Elbridge "Cheese" Colby earned his bachelor’s degree from Yale and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School. Before entering government, he worked at top think tanks and in the intelligence community, focusing on nuclear policy and strategic planning.
2/21
Cheese quickly became a key voice for a “China First” strategy, arguing the US must prioritize military buildup in Asia over commitments in Europe or the Middle East. He sees (or saw, rather) Taiwan as the core test of US credibility.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’m going to talk about… Vatnik Soup! As some of you know, we also have a website where you can find every soup ever published. The site also has other useful resources, making it the most comprehensive resource on Russian disinformation & vatniks.
1/15
Unfortunately, Elon has flagged the website as malware, as he might not be very happy about the soups I wrote about him - so far, they have garnered over 60 million views on X/Twitter.
The “freedom of speech” spokesperson doesn’t seem too keen on free speech, after all.
2/15
The heart & soul of the website is of course the soups page. There you can find all 360+ soups, which can be sorted chronologically, by popularity, etc. You can also search for soups by title or even in the soup text: