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.
3/18
The Ivanovs owned a supermarket in Lasnamäe. Additionally, Oleg held a stake in the Russian-language newspapers Vesti and Eesti Päevaleht. Previously introduced Estonian MEP Jana Toom became the paper’s editor-in-chief in 2004.
4/18
In 2012, Ivanov bought Terminal Sapjorni, an oil terminal in St. Petersburg. The business was a failure, and like many scammers at that time, he pivoted to crypto, marketing OneCoin and DagCoin.
5/18
DagCoin gained popularity in the Middle East, but Estonia’s state security police (KAPO) flagged it as a potential vehicle for terrorist financing. In 2022, DagCoin’s owners were arrested for fraud. Ivanov, however, was only a marketer, not a manager, so he remained free.
6/18
Despite declaring bankruptcy in 2021, owing creditors €816,000, Oleg continued living a life of luxury. He resides in a beautiful home, drives a fancy car, wears expensive clothes, and recently vacationed in Monaco, France, and Tenerife.
7/18
Ivanov’s political career kicked off in 2022, barely a month after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. His video blogs amassed hundreds of thousands of views and were widely shared by Russian propaganda outlets. He actively pushed the “Bucha was a hoax” narrative.
8/18
After its creation, Oleg joined the pro-Kremlin political party KOOS. But KOOS was never a real political party: it was a front for Russian influence. With Ivanov’s help, it spread Moscow’s disinformation, portraying NATO as an “occupier” and Estonia as “anti-Russian.”
9/18
Leveraging his experience in crypto marketing, Oleg began aggressively promoting KOOS online. His approach involved flashy conferences, slick advertising, and shady financials. For Ivanov, KOOS wasn’t just politics—it was another business opportunity.
10/18
One of Ivanov’s biggest stunts was his protest against Estonia’s decision to remove Soviet-era monuments. These were symbols of occupation, but Ivanov framed their removal as an “attack on history,” deliberately stirring tensions.
11/18
He organized demonstrations, spread false claims that Estonia was “erasing history,” and pushed the Kremlin’s narrative that the Baltic states were trying to paint Russia as the villain. In reality, Estonia was simply rejecting the Soviet legacy of oppression.
12/18
His rhetoric mirrored that of other pro-Kremlin propagandists in Estonia. He claimed the country should remain “neutral” to avoid being dragged into war with Russia. He also collaborated with other Estonian vatniks, like Harry Raudvere, Aivo Peterson & Oleg Bessedin.
13/18
Ivanov was organizing funds from a Russian state foundation linked to Russian intelligence to pay for the lawyers of the co-founder of the KOOS Party, Aivo Peterson, who is facing treason charges for his ties with Russian intelligence.
14/18
He also attended an event in St. Petersburg titled “Baltic Fascism: Evidence for a Future Tribunal.” In his own speech, he called for the Kremlin to respond to Estonia’s “aggressive policies.” The event’s poster called for “liberation” of Tallinn, Vilnius and Riga.
15/18
He tried to expand KOOS into the other Baltic states and Finland but has since departed it due to “financial questions from the leadership of the party,” probably meaning that Oleg yet again tried to make some extra rubles from the party’s activities.
16/18
Like many before him, Oleg fled to Russia after there were rumors of legal consequences for his actions. According to him, Estonian security services moved against him for spreading extremist ideas and working in the interests of a foreign power.
17/18
Today, he resides in sunny Sochi, where he was quickly embraced as yet another so-called “victim of Western persecution.” Russian state media turned him into a propaganda tool, claiming Estonia had driven him out simply for his political views.
18/18
Big thanks goes to @Martinlaineolen for helping me brew this soup.
The 2nd edition of “Vatnik Soup — The Ultimate Guide to Russian Disinformation” is officially out!
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll discuss the state of X in May 2025. Since its acquisition by Elon Musk, this platform has rapidly transformed into his personal political tool and a breeding ground for hate speech and disinformation.
1/22
Not everyone is following this shitshow as closely as I am, so I thought it would be good to write a summary of all the changes that have happened on this forum and outside of it. These changes have drastically changed how the platform operates and who gets “a voice” here.
2/22
Elon’s team has been tweaking the algorithm many times after the takeover. One of these tweaks happened already around Nov 2022, when the platform heavily suppressed the visibility of pro-Ukraine accounts. This change was then noticed & reported by many pro-Ukraine accounts.
3/22
In today’s 350th Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce an American comedian and podcaster, Dave Smith (@ComicDaveSmith). He’s best-known for his numerous appearances on the Joe Rogan Experience and for his unhinged takes on the Russo-Ukrainian War.
1/22
Smith has a massive megaphone - he’s a good friend of Joe Rogan, and he’s appeared on Joe’s podcast a whopping 16 times. Naturally, he’s also visited Lex Fridman’s podcast and frequently appears on Fox News’ Kennedy and The Greg Gutfeld Show.
2/22
Dave is part of the Kremlintarian section of the Libertarian Party called Mises Caucus. They took control of the party in May 2022, and with the help of their new leader, Angela McArdle, turned it into an extension of the MAGA Republicans:
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce a Russian journalist, Leonid Ragozin (@leonidragozin). He’s best-known for posing as a Russian dissident, while at the same time sneakily promoting the Kremlin’s narratives about the Russo-Ukrainian War.
1/20
On paper, Leonid doesn’t look like your typical Kremlin apologist - he’s written and worked for prestigious Western outlets like the BBC, the Guardian, and he’s even written some Lonely Planet guides for the Baltic countries!
2/20
But Ragozin’s public commentary often seems to walk a fine line: condemning the war while pushing narratives that shift blame, dilute responsibility, or quietly carry the same old imperial baggage Russia - or its opposition - has never truly forgotten.
In today’s Vatnik Soup REBREW, I’ll introduce a bank that is well-known in both Austria and Russia: Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) and its Russian subsidiary, AO Raiffeisen. It is one of the few foreign banks that still does business in Russia.
1/21
Raiffeisen’s Russian branch was founded in 1996 and expanded dramatically after the acquisition of Russia’s Impexbank in 2006. A year later, it was the largest bank trading in foreign capital (seventh in size) in Russia.
2/21
In the early 2000s, Raiffeisen opened new branches in Russia, including in Saint Petersburg, Samara, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk and Krasnodar. After 2018, it focused on digital expansion and by 2021 it had a digital presence in more than 300 cities.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce an Estonian lawyer, social activist, politician, and useful idiot for the Kremlin, Varro Vooglaid (@varrovooglaid). He’s best-known for promoting pro-Kremlin viewpoints under the guise of “traditional family values.”
1/20
Vooglaid has an academic background, which usually gives people plenty of credibility in the eyes of the Kremlin. Most of his academic career was spent at the University of Tartu, but he was also a researcher between 2007 and 2011 at the University of Helsinki.
2/20
Varro is likely the most influential vatnik in Estonia. His academic credentials provide him credibility, while his religious image appeals to “traditionalists” - many of whom oddly admire Russia and its imperialistic nature.
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.