Vatnik – steadfast jingoistic followers of official propaganda
15 days ago
- #political pejorative
- #Russo-Ukrainian War
- #Russian propaganda
- Vatnik is a political pejorative used in Russia and post-Soviet states for jingoistic followers of Russian government propaganda.
- Originated from an Internet meme by Anton Chadskiy in 2011, depicting a character made from a padded cotton wool jacket (vatnik).
- The term is used to describe blindly patriotic individuals who push conventional views from Russian government media.
- Originally referred to a cheap, unglamorous quilted jacket worn by poor people.
- The meme gained popularity during the Russo-Ukrainian War in 2014 and was used in protests and media in Ukraine.
- Some pro-government Russian bloggers have reappropriated the term positively.
- Anton Chadskiy left Russia in 2014 fearing persecution and his VK community was later blocked by the Russian government.
- The term became prominent during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, used by anti-Russian groups like NAFO.
- Variations exist in other languages, and similar terms like 'vyshyvatnik' are used for overly patriotic Ukrainians.
- Critics argue the term is classist and inaccurate, whitewashing the role of middle and upper classes in sustaining Putinism.