In today’s Vatnik Soup REBREW, I’ll re-introduce a Latvian politician and former MEP, Tatjana Ždanoka. She’s best-known for her history in the Communist Party of Latvia, for her pro-Russian politics in the country, and her connections to Russian intelligence.
1/22
Based on Ždanoka’s speeches and social media posts, she has a deep hatred towards the people of Latvia. The reason for this can only be speculated, but part of it could be due to her paternal family being killed by the Latvian Auxiliary Police,…
2/22
…a paramilitary force supported by the Nazis, during the early 1940s. Ždanoka became politically active in the late 80s. She was one of the leaders of Interfront, a political party that supported Latvia remaining part of the USSR.
3/22
In 1999, Ždanoka was banned from the Latvian parliament and lost her seat on the Riga City Council after it was revealed she had served on the Communist Party’s Audit Committee following its 1991 call for a coup against the Latvian government.
4/22
After this, her only option to have influence through politics was the European Parliament (EP), in which she was elected for the first time in 2004 and many times since with the help of the large Russian-speaking population in Latvia.
5/22
Since Soviet times, she has staunchly supported the Kremlin. Like many Russians, she said she was “ashamed to admit” being Russian during the Yeltsin era, but now “was no longer embarrassed for Russia and its leadership” — even attending one of Putin’s “Nashi” youth camps.
6/22
In 2024, a joint investigation revealed that Ždanoka has been in contact with Russian FSB operatives since at least 2005. She passed on political intel, helped organize Kremlin-friendly events, and maintained a long-term relationship with her handlers.
7/22
Her leaked emails show she informed the FSB about EU parliamentary activities, including internal meetings, travel, and protests. She offered help with shaping Russia’s soft-power image abroad and was seen as a reliable Kremlin puppet in Brussels.
8/22
Between 2013–2017, she exchanged over 19,000 emails with her FSB handler. She passed on insider insights about Ukraine’s Maidan protests, EU sentiment, and Latvian politics. She even proposed strategies for discrediting the Baltic states on the world stage.
9/22
After the revelations, the European Parliament fined Ždanoka and banned her from hosting events or using Parliament funds. An official investigation is ongoing, but the case underscores Russia’s deep-rooted efforts to influence EU politics from within.
10/22
In 2014, Ždanoka traveled to Crimea as an “international observer” for the referendum, with the trip funded by the EU. Latvia’s Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs clarified she did not represent Latvia or the EU, as she had no official authorization.
11/22
At the same time, Ždanoka actively promoted the narrative that Russian minorities were being repressed in Donbas. She also tried to link the alleged repressors to far-right politics, reinforcing Kremlin talking points about Ukraine and its government.
12/22
Ždanoka has frequently used her platform in the European Parliament to claim repression of the Russian language in Ukraine and the Baltics. She once ridiculously compared the situation of Latvia’s Russian-speaking population to that of Jews before World War II.
13/22
In 2016, Ždanoka visited Syria and met with then-leader Bashar al-Assad. She was joined by Estonian MEP Jana Toom and Spanish MEP Javier Couso Permuy. The visit took place while Russia was already actively supporting Assad’s brutal campaign against civilians.
14/22
Over the years, Ždanoka has closely collaborated with former Irish MEPs Mick Wallace and Clare Daly. All three have publicly defended Algirdas Paleckis, a Lithuanian politician convicted in 2021 for spying on behalf of Russian intelligence.
15/22
On Feb 16, 2022, Ždanoka gave a speech in the European Parliament accusing fellow MEPs of using Nazi slogans. She repeated false claims of a “genocide in Donbas” and displayed a photo of a 4-year-old allegedly killed in shelling, parroting Kremlin bullshit.
16/22
While thousands were dying in Ukraine, Ždanoka focused on Latvia removing Soviet-era statues. In 2022, most of her EP speeches condemned the dismantling of “over 70 monuments to liberators of Latvia,” and her party gathered 10,000 signatures opposing their removal.
17/22
Ždanoka’s voting record in the European Parliament has been consistent: out of 22 key votes, she opposed 20 measures condemning Russia. This includes votes against denouncing the 2022 invasion of Ukraine and against labeling Russia a state sponsor of terrorism.
18/22
As mentioned, Ždanoka was exposed as a Russian spy. There’s no clear evidence that Daly and Wallace were spies too, but they often acted like it. This is how Russia operates: infiltrating EU institutions and steadily chipping away their credibility from within.
19/22
Fortunately, all three Putin bootlickers are now gone from the European Parliament, but new figures appear to have taken their place. While the rhetoric is softer, the messaging remains aligned with Russia’s goals, including calls for Ukraine’s capitulation.
20/22
These figures are easy to spot — they claim to be “for peace,” vote in Russia’s interests, take “friendship trips” to Moscow, host pro-Kremlin guests, and constantly undermine the EU and its leadership.
To conclude: a vocal minority in the European Parliament continues to vote in line with Russian interests & is frequently amplified by Russian & Chinese media. Ždanoka was eventually exposed as a Russian agent — and there are likely many more cases we’ll never hear about.
22/22
The 2nd edition of “Vatnik Soup — The Ultimate Guide to Russian Disinformation” is officially out!
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.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce a Russian-Estonian businessman, Oleg Ossinovski. He is best-known for his deep ties to Russian rail and energy networks, shady cross-border dealings, and for channeling his wealth into Estonian politics.
1/14
Oleg made his fortune via Spacecom Trans & Skinest Rail, both deeply tied to Russia’s rail system. Most of this is through Globaltrans Investments PLC, a Cyprus-based firm with 62% held via Spacecom and tens of millions in yearly profits.
2/14
Ossinovski’s Russian-linked ventures made him Estonia’s richest man in 2014, with an estimated fortune of ~€300M. His business empire stretched across railways, oil via Alexela shares, and Russian bitumen imports from Help-Oil, a supplier to the Defense Ministry.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce a Swiss/French writer, Alain Bonnet, aka Alain Soral (@officielsoral). He’s best known for his rabid antisemitism and for his pathetic support for all the worst authoritarian regimes from Russia to North Korea.
1/22
Alain’s childhood was problematic, as his father has been characterized as a “narcissistic pervert” who beat his children and did jail time for fraud. Alain himself has said he was “programmed to be a monster.” Born Alain Bonnet, he took the stage name of his sister,…
2/22
… actress Agnès Soral. She wasn’t too happy about this, commenting “How would you like to be called Agnès Hitler?”. Like many grifters, he became a pick-up/seduction artist writer, à la late Gonzalo Lira, writing books and even making a B-movie, “Confessions d’un dragueur”.
3/22
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll explain the Alaska Fiasco and how it marks the peak of Trump’s two-year betrayal of Ukraine. What was sold as “peace talks” turned into a spectacle of weakness, humiliation, empty promises, and photo-ops that handed Putin exactly what he wanted.
1/24
Let’s start with the obvious: Trump desperately wants the gold medal of the Nobel Peace Prize, mainly because Obama got one. That’s why he’s now LARPing as a “peace maker” in every conflict: Israel-Gaza, Azerbaijan-Armenia, India-Pakistan, and of course Ukraine-Russia.
2/24
Another theory is that Putin holds kompromat — compromising material such as videos or documents — that would put Trump in an extremely bad light. Some have suggested it could be tied to the Epstein files or Russia’s interference in the 2016 US presidential election.