The World Map of Fakesperts

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The Insider, an investigative journalism publication, has compiled an intriguing interactive map of fake experts in Western countries—in Europe, America, and even Australia.

In other words, these are pseudo-experts who spread Kremlin-friendly disinformation in the countries where they live or work. Among them are many racists and neo-Nazis, who are even banned in local media but are gladly used as “experts” by RT or RIA Novosti. The only thing that unites them all is their propagation of direct disinformation while justifying Putin’s policies.

Carlson, who fell from the roof.

As disseminators of Kremlin disinformation, a wide range of individuals have been identified, including celebrities. One notable figure is the renowned American talk show host Tucker Carlson, who not too long ago hosted one of the highest-rated shows on Fox News. Carlson is widely known for his conspiracy theories and fake news, such as claiming that “over 3 thousand people died in the United States due to the COVID-19 vaccine” (there is no evidence to support this claim). In recent years, Tucker Carlson has also become a fervent Putin supporter. On the eve of the war, when Russia deployed troops to the Ukrainian border, Carlson referred to it as a “border dispute.” Carlson became a popular figure on Russian propaganda television and was actively quoted on state channels.

However, his downfall was not due to his affinity for Putin but rather to his support for Trump. He vigorously supported Trump’s supporters storming the Capitol when the former attempted to stay in power after losing the election. Carlson justified his support with the conspiracy theory of election fraud, which included claims of manipulated voting machines. Subsequent investigations showed that there was no vote manipulation in the presidential election, and the company responsible for electronic voting, Dominion Voting Systems filed a lawsuit against Fox News for hundreds of millions of dollars. Sensing the threat of bankruptcy, Fox News quickly terminated Carlson. In September 2023, the Russian channel Russia 24 announced a new show with Tucker Carlson, but the host himself stated that he has no plans to host any shows on Russian television. The truth in this matter remains unclear, as both the channel and Carlson are equally challenging to believe.

The Reptilian Goalkeeper

 

At times, Kremlin media brings forward entirely caricatured characters. One such character is “British political analyst” David Icke, who has become a major star on Russian state channels. In these shows, Icke exposes George Soros (replacing the Rockefellers and Rothschilds in anti-Semitic conspiracy theories), Zbigniew Brzezinski, and a mysterious “crisis group” responsible for orchestrating revolutions worldwide.

David Icke is indeed a legendary figure, but not necessarily a political guru. He started as a goalkeeper, then became a football commentator, but without achieving much success in sports, he declared himself to be the son of God and predicted several earthquakes and other catastrophes (including the end of the world in 1997). He is also known as the creator of the reptilian theory. Icke claims that reptilians live in secret underground bases on Earth and directly or indirectly control the world, compelling the political leaders of many earthly nations to do their bidding. According to Icke, they arrived at Earth from Thuban, a star also known as Alpha Draconis.

The Flightless Dutchman

 

Dutch writer Joost Niemöller once claimed that the black race is intellectually inferior to the white race, and that Hitler was “not that bad.” After these statements, Dutch publications ceased collaboration with him, but Kremlin-controlled media found inspiration in his views. Among other things, Niemöller published a book titled “MH17: The Cover-up Deal,” in which he claimed that a Ukrainian fighter jet shot down the Boeing. However, when Dutch investigators proved that the Boeing was hit by a missile (a fact even acknowledged by the Kremlin), Niemöller had to change his tactics. On RT, he began claiming that Ukrainian authorities were to blame for not banning the flight over a conflict zone. Niemöller was not bothered by the fact that the altitude at which MH17 was flying was considered safe, as the separatists did not have air defense missile systems, and Russia had not delivered its missile systems to the occupied areas before the catastrophe.

Estonia: Data is Outdated

Estonia is also represented on this fake expert map. Two individuals from our country are listed – Mstislav Rusakov (Estonian Russian School NGO, Dokole portal) without examples, and Willem Rooda:

It must be acknowledged that the data for Estonia is outdated, as Rusakov has not been the face of the Estonian United Left Party for a long time, and the character Villem Rooda is a self-proclaimed GRU employee whose “expert opinions” were published on the notorious and largely forgotten propaganda channel “Sputnik.”

The map not only allows for the aggregation of Kremlin disinformation spreaders but also reveals some of the topics promoted by Russian authorities in the Western information space and embraced by many fake experts.

The Fake Expert map already has about 200 listings, but it is continuously updated. You can make your suggestions for candidates by sending an email to [email protected]. Your proposal should include an example of how the “expert” spreads disinformation.

 

Screenshots are from sources used in the story.