VatnikSoup by Pekka Kallioniemi: Exposing Pro-Russian Propagandists and the Web of Disinformation

13.11.2023

VatnikSoup, a Twitter series under the hashtag, the VatnikSoup website, and The Soup Central  YouTube channel by Pekka Kallioniemi delve into the realm of pro-Russian actors and propagandists, shedding light on their strategies in the online information landscape. Moving beyond mere identification, the series aims to provide valuable insights into the tactics employed by various actors, from “independent journalists” to politicians and military figures.

How did it start?

Since its inception on October 5, 2022, the VatnikSoup series has evolved into a substantial collection, boasting 240 soups and accompanying “side dishes,” like articles and podcasts, and a list of all nuclear threats issued by Russian officials since 1999. Going beyond mere exposure, the series offers an in-depth exploration of the tools and tactics employed by pro-Russian propagandists. From scrutinizing troll farms to dissecting social media manipulation and Russia’s online information operations, VatnikSoup provides a nuanced understanding of the strategies driving global disinformation.

Notably, Pekka Kallioniemi, the mind behind VatnikSoup, is a member of the NAFO movement and was featured as one of the guests at the NAFO Summit in Vilnius in July 2023. This convergence of investigative journalism and collaborative efforts marks a significant step in the ongoing battle against disinformation.

 

The mysterious case of disappearing likes

On June 29, 2023, the VatnikSoup series took a deep dive into the influential figure of Elon Musk, unveiling startling allegations on his Twitter platform. Musk, renowned as the world’s wealthiest man steering Tesla Inc., SpaceX, and Twitter, found himself under scrutiny for allegedly parroting Kremlin’s propaganda narratives.

After the VatnikSoup thread exposing Elon Musk’s alleged ties to Kremlin propaganda on his Twitter platform, users began experiencing a peculiar phenomenon—likes were vanishing from the thread. The incident has sparked concern among Twitter users, raising questions about the transparency and integrity of online engagement. 

Tymofiy Mylovanov, former Minister of Economy in Ukraine, provided a detailed analysis and tracking of the deleted likes on a dedicated platform. The data showcases discrete drops in likes over time, indicating possible manual intervention or coordinated efforts to reduce engagement. The graphs highlight pronounced drops initially, evolving into smaller yet more frequent occurrences, possibly as an attempt to camouflage the orchestrated like removal.

Meet the Chef: Interview with Pekka Kallioniemi 

In an exclusive interview with Propastop, Pekka Kallioniemi, the brains behind #VatnikSoup, opens up about how this unique project came to be and how it has evolved. Propastop delves into the mind of the “Chef” to uncover the motivations, inspirations, and intricate details that drive the impactful exploration of pro-Russian propaganda and disinformation tactics.

– What inspired the creation of the Vatnik Soup series, and what keeps you motivated to write more entries in the series?

– I created my Twitter account soon after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in Ukraine. I wanted to look for ways to support Ukraine, and as I had previously done extensive research on social media, I thought that I could try to use Twitter to spread awareness about Russia’s information operations. After a while, I got interested in the people who promote Kremlin’s narratives and started doing short threads on them. For some reason, they quickly became quite popular, and as of today, there are already over 230 entries of Vatnik Soup. I am mostly motivated by my own interest on the topic, but as the impact of these threads grew, I also started getting positive feedback, which kept me going.

Pekka Kallioniemi

– Was it intended as a series in the first place, or did it develop over time?

– It was never planned as a series, but after a while the whole process devoured me. I was almost obsessed, needing to read more on the topic and publish new threads on an almost daily basis.

The first “soups” are about Finnish vatniks. What made you write about international players?

– Someone suggested it to me. At first I thought that expanding to international actors made the scope too big, but pretty soon I found out that most of the Vatniks work and act pretty much the same way, wherever they are.

– What led you to start addressing and debunking Russian propaganda narratives in your work?

– I felt like there was not enough discussion about how effective these narratives actually are. Social media platforms allow the rapid spread of disinformation, and many of these fake news are seen by millions and millions of people daily.

A lot of the techniques used by these online operatives rely on behavioral sciences and psychology, appealing to primitive emotional reactions and emotions like anger, fear and disgust. People often react to disinformation on a basic emotional level, often disregarding the factuality of the message. This phenomenon interests me greatly.

Pekka Kallioniemi’s own NAFO fella cartoon dog

– How do you gather the “ingredients” for your soups? 

– It depends on the subject. As most people, I start by searching for basic information with search engines. Then I move on to articles, videos, podcasts, etc. Sometimes I gather additional information from other experts and journalists. In general, it’s just basic data search which is then transformed into a (hopefully) interesting story.

– Why do you believe that the NAFO has been effective in countering and combating disinformation?

– Like Russian information operations, NAFO works because of its high volume. Before, Russia had the monopoly on spreading information online and their high-volume approach was extremely effective. Then came NAFO with its “fight fire with fire” strategy, and started ridiculing the Russian disinformation machinery. It removes any kind of credibility from traditional Russian disinformation spreaders like embassy and diplomat accounts.

Vatnik Soup in Estonia

On November 6, 2023, Estonian investigative journalist Martin Laine unveiled the first installment of his Twitter thread under the hashtag #vatniksoupEE. The thread spotlights Oleg Bessedin, a prominent figure known as Russia’s state TV go-to propagandist, a recurring presence in the annual Estonian Internal Security Service (KAPO) report, and the influential PR strategist of the KOOS party. The second vatniksoupEE was published on November 10, 2023, covering Harry Raudvere, a figure known for his roles as an energy and lingerie businessman, a radical dissenter, and a co-founder of the recently established pro-Russian party ERE. 

What can be learned from this?

Pekka Kallioniemi’s VatnikSoup series is a vital tool in the fight against disinformation, exposing the strategies of pro-Russian propagandists. The NAFO movement’s effectiveness is clear in its high-volume approach, ridiculing Russian disinformation and undermining traditional spreaders’ credibility. VatnikSoup, as it continues to uncover layers of disinformation, showcases the power of investigative journalism in countering propaganda.

Screenshots are from sources used in the story.