Thread by @P_Kallioniemi

In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll continue the “Degenerate Russia” series. In it, we look behind the Kremlin propaganda and see the real Russia – an authoritarian country that doesn’t care about its people and desperately tries to hold on to its imperialistic past.

1/18

The Kremlin loves to brand Russia as the last defender of “traditional values” against the “decadent” West. But in reality, Russia is plagued by crime, violence, corruption, and even neo-Nazi groups. Let’s break down the hypocrisy.

First part:

2/18

https://x.com/P_Kallioniemi/status/1901967581038186716

Russia has one of the highest divorce rates in the world. In 2021, it had a divorce rate of 4,3 per 1000 people, among the highest globally. While Putin criticizes Western liberalism, over 60% of Russian marriages end in divorce. So much for being a “family values” society.

3/18

Domestic violence is rampant in Russia. A 2019 study estimated that 14,000 Russian women die annually from domestic abuse. Yet in 2017, Putin decriminalized some forms of domestic violence, making it even harder for victims to get protection from the state.

4/18

Russia’s murder rate remains higher than in most European countries. Organized crime, human trafficking, and corruption thrive under Putin’s rule, yet state propaganda pretends Russia is a model of “moral order.”

5/18

Russian prisons are infamous for their extreme violence and sexual abuse. In 2021, leaked videos showed systemic torture and rape in Russian jails. Prisoners are often brutalized, and some are even recruited for war with the promise of a pardon.

6/18

Russia has sent thousands of convicted criminals, including murderers, rapists, and even cannibals, to fight in Ukraine. These men, many with histories of extreme violence, have committed brutal war crimes against civilians.

7/18

Despite claiming to fight “Nazism” in Ukraine, Russia openly uses neo-Nazi paramilitary groups. The Rusich unit, fighting under Russian command, flaunts SS symbols and commits war crimes. Wagner Group also recruited known neo-Nazis.

8/18

Russian neo-Nazi groups aren’t just in the military. Groups like Russian Imperial Movement and Atomwaffen Division Russland have flourished under Putin’s rule. Russian authorities only crack down on them when they become politically inconvenient.

9/18

Putin and Russian propaganda claim to defend “Christian values,” but corruption, alcoholism, drug abuse, and prostitution are rampant. Russian elites preach morality while living decadent lives, often in the very West they so much pretend to despise.

10/18

Kremlin officials call the West “decadent” and threaten it with nuclear bombs, yet send their own children to live, study, and invest in Europe and the US. They know Russia has no future but expect ordinary Russians to die for their lies.

11/18

Putin’s own daughters have lived and studied in the West. Lavrov’s daughter went to Columbia University. The children of Russia’s elites own luxury properties in London, Paris, and New York - while their fathers tell Russians the West is evil.

12/18

The Russian Orthodox Church is deeply entangled with the Kremlin. Instead of addressing moral decay, it blesses tanks and missiles while supporting war. Patriarch Kirill, who’s worth around $4 billion, even called dying in Ukraine “a spiritual sacrifice.”

13/18

Russia’s demographic crisis contradicts its image as a strong, traditional society. With a quickly shrinking population, high mortality, and low birth rates, Russia is losing hundreds of thousands of people per year. They try to fix this by abducting Ukrainian children.

14/18

Crime and corruption define Russia far more than any “traditional values.” Oligarchs loot the country while ordinary Russians struggle with poverty, low wages, and declining living standards. For many, the only way to survive is to enlist to the meat grinder in Ukraine.

15/18

Russian soldiers are sent to die for an empire that no longer exists, while the elites and oligarchs hoard wealth. Many conscripts are undertrained, poorly equipped, and abandoned when wounded. Some are even executed for retreating.

16/18

Meanwhile, Russian state TV pushes conspiracy theories that blame the West for Russia’s problems. Especially older people rely on TV when it comes to information, and Russia’s whole network has been harnessed to increase the support for the “special military operation.”

17/18

To conclude: Russia isn’t a bastion of conservatism or traditionalism. It’s an authoritarian state that uses “traditional values” as propaganda while being plagued by crime, corruption, moral decay, and even neo-Nazi groups.

18/18

The 2nd edition of “Vatnik Soup — The Ultimate Guide to Russian Disinformation” is officially out!

You can order your copy here:

kleart.eu/webshop/p/vatn…