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 autocratic concept of “Good Tsar, Bad Boyars”: the idea that the leader is wise and just, but constantly sabotaged by corrupt advisors. This narrative shields the ruler from blame, and it’s used by both Putin and Trump today.
1/20
The phrase “Good Tsar, Bad Boyars” (Царь хороший, бояре плохие), also known as Naïve Monarchism, refers to a long-standing idea in Russian political culture: the ruler is good and benevolent, but his advisors are corrupt, incompetent and responsible for all failures.
2/20
From this perception, any positive action taken by the government is viewed as being an accomplishment of the benevolent leader, whereas any negative one is viewed as being caused by lower-level bureaucrats or “boyars”, without the approval of the leader.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce a Russian politician and First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Administration of Russia, Sergey Kiriyenko. He’s best known for running both domestic and foreign disinformation and propaganda operations for the Kremlin.
1/20
On paper, and in photos, Kiriyenko is just as boring as most of the Kremlin’s “political technologists”: between 2005-2016 he headed the Rosatom nuclear energy company, but later played a leading role in the governance of Russia-occupied territories in Ukraine.
2/20
What is a political technologist? In Russia, they’re spin doctors & propaganda architects who shape opinion, control narratives, and manage elections — often by faking opposition, staging events, and spreading disinfo to maintain Putin’s power and the illusion of democracy.
Let me show you how a Pakistani (or Indian, they're usually the same) AI slop farm/scam operates. The account @designbonsay is a prime example: a relatively attractive, AI-generated profile picture and a ChatGPT-style profile description are the first red flags.
1/5
The profile's posts are just generic engagement farming, usually using AI-generated photos of celebrities or relatively attractive women.
These posts are often emotionally loaded and ask the user to interact with them ("like and share if you agree!").
2/5
Then there's the monetization part. This particular account sells "pencil art", which again are just AI-generated slop.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce an American lawyer and politician, Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee). He’s best-known for opposing the aid to Ukraine, undermining NATO by calling the US to withdraw from the alliance, and for fighting with a bunch of braindead dogs online.
1/21
Like many of the most vile vatniks out there, “Based Mike” is a lawyer by profession. He hails from the holy land of Mormons, Utah, where he faces little political competition, allowing him to make the most outrageous claims online without risking his Senate seat.
2/21
Before becoming a senator, Mike fought to let a nuclear waste company dump Italian radioactive waste in Utah, arguing it was fine if they just diluted it. The state said no, the public revolted, and the courts told poor Mikey to sit down.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce an American national security policy professional and the current under secretary of defense for policy, Elbridge Colby (@ElbridgeColby). He’s best-known for fighting with cartoon dogs online and for halting military aid to Ukraine.
1/21
Elbridge "Cheese" Colby earned his bachelor’s degree from Yale and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School. Before entering government, he worked at top think tanks and in the intelligence community, focusing on nuclear policy and strategic planning.
2/21
Cheese quickly became a key voice for a “China First” strategy, arguing the US must prioritize military buildup in Asia over commitments in Europe or the Middle East. He sees (or saw, rather) Taiwan as the core test of US credibility.