In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce a Ukrainian-born former State Duma deputy, Vladimir Medinsky. He is best known as one of the ideologues of the “Russkiy Mir”, for his close ties to Vladimir Putin, and for leading the “peace talks” in Turkey in 2022 and 2025.
1/20
During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Medinsky interned as a correspondent on the international desk of the TASS news agency, learning the ways of propaganda at an early age. Some time later, he earned two PhDs – one in political science and the other in history.
2/20
As is tradition in Russia, Medinsky’s academic work was largely pseudo-scientific and plagiarized. Dissernet found that 87 of 120 pages in his dissertation were copied from his supervisor’s thesis. His second dissertation was also heavily plagiarized.
3/20
Many Russian academics focus solely on spreading pro-Kremlin propaganda, and academic titles still carry weight in Russian society. That’s why they also use Western academics like Glenn Diesen and Tuomas Malinen to amplify Kremlin's bullshit narratives.
4/20
From his early days as a tobacco lobbyist to his current role as a presidential aide, Medinsky has consistently shown a knack for crafting narratives that serve the state. His political career began in the early 2000s, when he joined the State Duma…
5/20
…as a member of the United Russia party. He focused on tightening ad laws and pushing “conservative values.” In 2012, Putin made him Minister of Culture, signaling a shift toward a more controlled and ideologically driven cultural narrative in Russia.
6/20
As Minister from 2012 to 2020, he transformed the ministry into an ideological tool. One of Medinsky’s most significant, and dangerous, contributions has been within Russia itself, where he spent years reshaping the cultural sector to serve nationalist goals.
7/20
The plan was simple: produce films that glorify Tsarist Russia, and Soviet victories – while punishing anyone who dares to question Nazi collaboration, the gulags, Stalin-era purges, or the Chechen wars, branding them as enemies of the state.
Medinsky essentially followed Goebbels’ playbook: during his time as minister, he championed state-sponsored films that glorified Russian history and actively discouraged any works critical of the government, labeling dissenting voices as “unpatriotic”.
9/20
Medinsky’s most significant impact has been in the realm of historical revisionism. He has authored several books intended to debunk what he sees as myths about Russia, often downplaying or outright ignoring inconvenient historical truths.
10/20
His approach to history is less about academic accuracy and more about reinforcing a narrative that portrays Russia as a victim of Western aggression. One of his most controversial projects is the development of new history textbooks for schools.
These books promote a revisionist history that justifies Russia’s aggression in Ukraine,framing the 2014 annexation of Crimea & the 2022 invasion as necessary steps to defend Russian interests.They also portray the West as a constant threat seeking to destabilize Russia.
12/20
After Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Medinsky was recast as the Kremlin’s chief negotiator in talks with Kyiv. His role wasn’t to seek peace, but to stage political theatre, framing the Ukrainians as the “bad guys”.
13/20
Medinsky, who was born in Ukraine, claimed in an interview with RBC Russia in 2023 that he had no hatred for Ukrainians and that Russia had no conflict with Ukraine. Yet, in Mar 2022, he wrote on his Telegram channel that Ukraine was allegedly preparing an offensive…
14/20
…in Donbas and that the Bucha massacre was staged by the Ukrainian government. He also claimed that “Russia wanted peace.” This has been Russia’s strategy all along: deny all wrongdoing, insist on peaceful intentions, and continue the barbaric invasion.
15/20
In 2025, when Putin called for direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, but then failed to appear in Istanbul to meet with Zelenskyy, it was Medinsky and his team who were sent instead. Zelenskyy rightly dismissed the talks as a “sham.”
16/20
According to The Economist correspondent Oliver Carroll, Medinsky stated during the negotiations: “We don’t want war, but we’re ready to fight for a year, two, three—however long it takes. We fought Sweden for 21 years. How long are you ready to fight?”
17/20
Medinsky also allegedly said, “Maybe some of those sitting here at this table will lose more of their loved ones. Russia is prepared to fight forever.” The Russian negotiators further threatened to seize the Kharkiv and Sumy regions in northeastern Ukraine.
18/20
The negotiations themselves were indeed a sham. Russia reportedly made “unrealistic” demands that went “far beyond anything ever discussed,” including the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from their own territory as a condition for a ceasefire.
19/20
To conclude, Vladimir Medinsky is a prominent Russian political figure, historian, and a loyal workhorse within Putin’s inner circle. He plays a unique role: the Kremlin’s playwright, rewriting history to fit their narrative.
20/20
The 2nd edition of “Vatnik Soup — The Ultimate Guide to Russian Disinformation” is officially out!
In today’s Vatnik Soup, we’ll explain the context of the upcoming Budapest Blunder, and how it follows the infamous Alaska Fiasco from two months ago and Trump’s absurd delaying of serious aid to Ukraine and effective sanctions on Russia for the past nine months.
1/20
Two months ago, Trump embarrassed the United States by rolling out the red carpet for war criminal dictator Putin and overall acting like a pathetic servant eager to meet his master. Of course, the Alaska Fiasco didn’t bring peace any closer.
Worse, the main outcome of the humiliation was to delay serious sanctions, which the US Congress, in rare bipartisan unity against Russia, was on the verge of passing. Two weeks by two weeks, Trump Always Chickens Out, postponing any real pressure on Putin for 9 months now.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce American propagandist Alexandra Jost, aka “Sasha” (@sashameetsrus). She’s best known for being paid by the Russian state to spread pro-Kremlin propaganda — and for doing it with a big smile.
1/23
Alexandra, now 26, was born in Hong Kong. Her father is from Texas, and her mother is from Siberia. According to her, she has “dreamed of living in Russia since childhood.” Sasha's mother runs a dance studio in Moscow and her younger brother is avoiding mobilization.
2/23
Since the beginning of her creator career, Sasha has been adamant about one thing: that she’s “never had to be paid” to speak of her “love” for Russia. But, as always with Russia, this turned out to be nothing but vranyo — a Russian “tactical lie.”
In today’s Vatnik Soup REBREW, I’ll reintroduce an American political commentator and pro-Kremlin propagandist, Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson). He’s best known for his promotion of crazy conspiracy theories and for his support of authoritarian regimes around the world.
1/24
Tucker’s career spans decades, but he’s also been very active in recent years, so a lot has happened since our previous soup on him, which can be found here:
Once described as “the most powerful conservative in America”, Tucker has now fully transformed into a grifting conspiracy theorist and propagandist willing to work for whoever pays him the most. It’s unclear whether Tucker truly believes his endless conspiracy theories or…
3/24
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll cover the agenda-setting and flood of disinformation that spread on X and other platforms right after Charlie Kirk’s assassination. It’s far from the first or last time a tragedy has been weaponized for political purposes.
1/18
Every major political event, especially those involving violence, attracts massive attention. In the immediate aftermath, reliable information is scarce, making it highly vulnerable to both coordinated and improvised disinformation campaigns.
2/18
As I’ve mentioned in my previous soups and lectures, in disinformation campaigns, being first with a narrative is crucial, as people often remember the first version best — psychology studies show it sets the mental schema, and later updates rarely overwrite it.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce American social media personality David Freeman, AKA Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman). He’s best known for spreading political disinformation on X and shamelessly sucking up to Trump, Putin, and other authoritarian leaders.
1/22
David is a textbook example of someone profiting from MAGA grievance politics. He uses extreme, provocative language to farm engagement on X and never hesitates to flatter anyone who might give him more exposure — or money.
2/22
But David wasn’t always like this. At some point, in his mid-40s, he even tried a real job: he trained to become a cop. He spent three years with the Metro Transit PD, but after that he either got fired or quit, and never looked back.