In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce a former Ukrainian politician and president, Viktor Yanukovych. He’s best known for selling his country to Russia, trying to turn it into an authoritarian state, and eventually fleeing to Moscow once his plan failed.
1/22
Now that Russia and the US are planning to replace president Zelenskyy with someone who’s more willing to sell the country to them (most probably Viktor Medvedchuk or one of his cronies), it’s a good time to remind people how Yanukovych and Putin almost took over Ukraine.
2/22
Yanukovych’s first attempt at power came in 2004, when he “won” the Ukrainian presidential election through massive fraud. The rigged vote sparked the Orange Revolution, a wave of protests that forced the election to be re-run. His opponent, pro-Western candidate…
3/22
…Viktor Yushchenko, ultimately won. Yushchenko was poisoned with dioxin, a highly toxic chemical. His face became disfigured almost overnight. The timing was suspicious, as he was leading in the polls, and many suspect that Putin was behind the attack.
4/22
After this, Yanukovych retreated from the spotlight for a while, but eventually made a political comeback. With support from Trump associates like Paul Manafort, he rebranded himself as a “moderate”, and, in 2010, narrowly won the presidency in a relatively fair election.
5/22
Initially, Yanukovych was promoting economic modernisation & greater economic ties with the EU, but throughout the years he started shifting more towards authoritarianism. Recently, we saw the same happen in Georgia with Bidzina Ivanishvili & his Georgian Dream party.
6/22
It is possible, that this strategy of luring in the voters with pro-EU and pro-Western sentiments and then turning towards Moscow originates from the Russian intelligence agencies, who are masters at deception and political maneuvering.
7/22
After some time, Yanukovych began reversing Ukraine’s pro-European course. He cracked down on opposition, imprisoned his main rival Yulia Tymoshenko, and handed key sectors of Ukraine’s economy to his inner circle, including his dentist son Oleksandr.
8/22
By 2013, Ukraine was on the verge of signing an Association Agreement with the EU. But at the last minute, under pressure from Moscow, Yanukovych abandoned the deal in favor of a 15 billion USD bailout from Putin, prioritizing his own power over Ukraine’s future.
9/22
This betrayal sparked mass protests known as Euromaidan or Revolution of Dignity. Ukrainians took to the streets, demanding European integration, democracy, and an end to corruption. Yanukovych responded with police crackdowns, kidnappings, and torture of protesters.
10/22
By early 2014, the situation escalated. On Yanukovych’s orders, riot police and snipers opened fire on unarmed protesters, killing over 100 people. Instead of crushing the uprising, this massacre only fueled nationwide outrage. Russian propaganda framed it as a “coup”…
11/22
… and blamed the CIA. As protests intensified, Yanukovych’s allies abandoned him. By 22 Feb 2014, he fled Kyiv in the dead of night, escaping first to eastern Ukraine, then to Russia. Parliament officially removed him from office, and new elections were called.
12/22
After his escape, Ukrainians discovered the scale of his corruption. His Mezhyhirya mansion was filled with expensive shit like golden toilets, private zoos, and a floating restaurant, and it quickly became a symbol of the obscene wealth he stole while in power.
13/22
Yanukovych’s downfall set off a chain reaction. With his puppet removed, Putin launched a military aggression against Ukraine, illegally annexing Crimea and fueling separatist uprisings in Donbas, Kharkiv and Odesa. Yanukovych, meanwhile, fully aligned himself with Moscow.
14/22
In 2014, a letter surfaced where Yanukovych begged Putin to send Russian troops to Ukraine due to it being on the “brink of a civil war”, giving the Kremlin a pretext for its invasion. This document became key evidence in his later treason trial.
15/22
Despite his irrelevance, Yanukovych remains a Kremlin tool. In 2022, reports emerged that Russia considered him as a potential puppet leader for Ukraine once Kyiv fell. But Putin’s plot failed, and these plans were quickly foiled.
16/22
In 2019, Yanukovych was sentenced in absentia to 13 years for treason. Today, he hides in Russia, still trying to rewrite history and justify his betrayal of Ukraine. His son is still running coal companies in Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine.
17/22
Today, Ukraine faces a similar threat. Trump is criticizing Zelenskyy for “not holding elections”, while his close associates are simultaneously pushing for the reinstatement of Medvedchuk’s media licenses. This would result in much more Russian propaganda in Ukraine.
18/22
Eventually, we will probably see accusations of Ukraine “banning the Orthodox church”, supposedly limiting the freedom of religion. But the only “church” that’s been banned is the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP), actually an FSB front for espionage and propaganda.
19/22
When the elections are eventually held, Russia (and the US) will have their own candidate. This candidate will be heavily promoted and their opponent defamed. The Kremlin is willing to spend copious amounts of rubles to swing these elections.
20/22
Blueprint for the eventual elections:
1) US calls constantly for new elections; 2) Putin and Trump promote the same candidate and defame their opponent; 3) This candidate may seem “pro-Western”; 4) If elected, they will start selling out Ukraine to Russia and US.
21/22
To conclude, Yanukovych’s story is a warning – Kremlin (and Trump)-backed leaders will always prioritize Russian interests over their own country. Ukraine managed to resist this hostile takeover, but they (along with the rest of Europe) need to prepare for the next attempt.
22/22
The 2nd edition of “Vatnik Soup — The Ultimate Guide to Russian Disinformation” is officially out!
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.