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Vatnik Soup

@P_Kallioniemi

Jul 27 • 21 tweets • 14 min read • Read on X

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In today’s Vatnik Soup REBREW, we’ll reintroduce Laura Loomer @LauraLoomer, an American political activist. Our first possible case of a former vatnik, she’s best known for her unhinged takes on Ukraine & for admitting those were the result of falling for Russian propaganda.
1/20

https://x.com/P_Kallioniemi/status/1714259700827464095

When we first souped Laura, she was just one of many influential right-wingers and conspiracy theorists spreading vatnik propaganda: the usual, stale Kremlin narratives intended to help Russia with its invasion of Ukraine.

2/20

https://x.com/P_Kallioniemi/status/1714259700827464095

But now, she’s clearly and publicly admitted she was wrong. Now of course, this doesn’t mean that we agree with her on everything now, or that we can guarantee that she won’t change her mind again. But: her previous stance on Ukraine was extremely superficial…

3/20

…whereas her current takes are much more documented and fact-based. Her previous views closely mirrored Kremlin messaging, and in fact seemed blatantly influenced by Russian propaganda and nothing else, such as having “good feelings” about Russia and bad ones about Ukraine.
4/20

https://x.com/LauraLoomer/status/2080657818466586812/video/1

Last week, Loomer travelled to Ukraine — a long trip due to the closed airspace, and the obvious risks of Russian bombing — and talked to many Ukrainian officials, dined with Ukraine’s Chief Rabbi @RabbiUkraine, and even interviewed Volodymyr Zelenskyy himself.

5/20

https://x.com/LauraLoomer/status/2080657818466586812/video/1

https://x.com/P_Kallioniemi/status/1938237244537479275

Loomer also saw evidence of Russian war crimes and experienced her first air raid alerts in Kyiv — what Ukrainians have been going through for years now.

6/20

https://x.com/P_Kallioniemi/status/1938237244537479275

She even directly addressed and debunked the very staples of Russian narratives that she was previously spreading, such as “denazification” and persecution of Christians.

7/20

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

In fact, the religious persecution of Christians by Russia is well-documented, and yes Russia spends a lot of effort into accusing Ukraine of everything of which they are guilty themselves: genocide, religious persecution, and being Nazis.

8/20

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

https://x.com/lauraloomer/status/2080007042765324349

Loomer’s shift is certainly welcome, but some of the framing she picked up from Russian propaganda may sound cringe even with the polarity reversed. Instead of portraying Putin as the saviour of Christianity, now it’s “Putin droned Jesus Christ”.

9/20

https://x.com/lauraloomer/status/2080007042765324349

https://x.com/United24media/status/2080049029484847530

Instead of Putin the saviour of the white race against Muslims, she now makes it all about Ukraine being “more white and Christian”.

In fact, Ukraine has native Muslim populations like the Crimean Tatars, who suffered deportations and genocide under Stalin and now under Putin’s Russia.

10/20

https://x.com/United24media/status/2080049029484847530

Loomer even wants to ban Muslims from holding office in the US and rejoices at “not having seen a single Muslim in Ukraine” — forgetting that Ukraine is a pluralistic country with Christians, Jews and Muslims at the highest levels, all working together against the Russian invasion.

11/20

https://x.com/ChechenCenter/status/2079452670994075956

She has correctly highlighted Russia’s support for Islamist terrorism and sowing chaos in the Middle East. But her radical anti-Muslim views still make her get Chechnya wrong — Kadyrov has nothing to do with Dudayev.

12/20

https://x.com/ChechenCenter/status/2079452670994075956

https://x.com/United24media/status/1915535012440519047

Support for Ukraine is not entirely new in the MAGA/conservative world. Ben Shapiro @benshapiro has also interviewed Zelenskyy, and Trump’s spiritual advisor Mark Burns @pastormarkburns has completely revised his views after travelling to Ukraine.

13/20

https://x.com/United24media/status/1915535012440519047

https://x.com/ShaunPinnerUA/status/2079680295851204677

Nate Vance @VanceNate has also been fighting for Ukraine & trying to enlighten his delusional VP of a cousin.

Some Ukrainians are legitimately skeptical of Loomer’s redemption, in particular due to her past columns for RT (unpaid, she claims).

14/20

https://x.com/ShaunPinnerUA/status/2079680295851204677

https://x.com/ShaunPinnerUA/status/2081219492890267796

Laura’s sudden realization of the obvious also comes at a suspiciously convenient time — Russia is losing, its war crimes against Ukraine and enmity toward America are becoming impossible to ignore (Iran), and… the midterms are nearing.

15/20

https://x.com/ShaunPinnerUA/status/2081219492890267796

“After running to the bomb shelter in Ukraine myself several times”, Loomer has called for Trump to “give Ukraine access to Patriot Missiles”. Great, but… those were provided by Biden already, whereas Trump cut all US funding for Ukraine.

In April 2025, he even scolded Zelenskyy for asking to BUY more of them, while accusing him of having started the war (Putin started the war, in 2014, years before Zelenskyy even got into politics).

Of course Loomer won’t tell you any of that.

16/20
x.com/LauraLoomer/st…

https://x.com/P_Kallioniemi/status/1980622037782524357

If pro-Ukraine conservatives can push Trump to support Ukraine, good, but we won’t agree with their “Good Tsar, Bad Boyars”: Trump himself has been pushing Kremlin propaganda & humiliating America by rolling out the red carpet for war criminal Putin.
17/20

https://x.com/P_Kallioniemi/status/1980622037782524357

https://x.com/NewsGuardRating/status/2069851263156539661

We’ve documented how Russian propaganda ecosystems operate online. Certain narratives don’t spread organically, they are boosted by massive troll and bot farms. Coordinated accounts and bots disproportionately amplify pro-Kremlin messaging.

18/20

https://x.com/NewsGuardRating/status/2069851263156539661

While Loomer was repeating vatnik narratives, her posts received substantial amplification, but then her views dropped dramatically after switching sides.

But of course Elon will still pretend there’s no Russian propaganda on Twitter and nothing weird going on here.

19/20

We won’t judge whether Loomer should be trusted, is sincere, or whether her change of positions redeems her past words and actions.

But two things are for sure: this clearly shows how Russian propaganda works, and fewer vatniks spreading it should certainly be encouraged.

20/20

Russia spends $5 billion a year on propaganda to manufacture support for its invasions through vatniks and narratives such as those previously accepted by Laura Loomer. Fact-based research to counter it takes time and effort — please support our work:
vatniksoup.com/en/support-our…

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