Vatnik soup information

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Vatnik Soup is a Twitter-based series of threads of Russian disinformation actors that are compiled by Pekka Kallioniemi, a computer lecturer from Tampere University, Finland.^[1][2] The name comes from the pejorative word for a Russian vatnik which refers to the cold-weather army clothes that Russian soldiers wear, but has since recently being used to refer to supporters or fellow travellers of Vladimir Putin or Ruscism.^[3]

Since starting in 2022, Pekka has compiled over 200 threads of people and organisations, mainly useful idiots who have been distributing Russian disinformation, especially since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on social media. Initially it was local Finnish fellow travellers including Johan Bäckman^[4] but now including people such Max Blumenthal and Viktor Orbán, and more controversially public figures seen to have soft stances towards Russia, like Pope Francis.^[5] It is now seen as part of the NAFO counter-disinformation network against Russian disinformation.