Notices by Pekka Kallioniemi (pekkakallioniemi@defenseofliberty.social)

On paper, Leonid doesn’t look like your typical #Kremlin apologist - he’s written and worked for prestigious Western outlets like the #BBC, the Guardian, and he’s even written some Lonely Planet guides for the #Baltic countries!

2/20

But #Ragozin’s public commentary often seems to walk a fine line: condemning the #war while pushing narratives that shift blame, dilute responsibility, or quietly carry the same old imperial baggage #Russia - or its opposition - has never truly forgotten.

3/20

He routinely warns the West not to “humiliate #Russia,” a talking point that eerily echoes #Putin’s own rhetoric. I mean, if your biggest concern during a #war of aggression is that the #aggressor might feel offended, are you really opposing the right things?

4/20

His framing consistently casts small, vulnerable democracies in Eastern #Europe as aggressive, overreacting, or irrational — while subtly positioning #Russia as a misunderstood giant, unfairly antagonized by its neighbors.

5/20

Just before the full-scale #invasion of #Ukraine, Ragozin repeatedly ridiculed the idea of a potential full-scale #war, called Western support for Ukraine reckless and suggested that #Ukrainian sovereignty was being manipulated by #NATO interests.

6/20

In Jan 2022, #Ragozin tweeted that a “full-scale Russian #invasion is an extremely improbable scenario,” & compared the people who were claiming this to the #antivax movement.He also called the #military buildup at the border “deliberately demonstrative” & a “bluff”.He visited…
7/20

… Mark “All #russian girls want to be raped” Ames’ War Nerd Radio, where he denounced the #US intelligence leaks about an imminent war, claiming that it was “#Russophobia”. Ames has also been a harsh critic of #Zelenskyy’s government, and also denied any chance of #invasion.

8/20

He also dismissed #Ukraine’s post-#Maidan politics as “nationalist” and “alienating to #Russians,” a take that grossly misrepresents a country fighting for its right to exist. Leonid seems more focused on the feelings of Russians than on the survival of #Ukrainians.

9/20

Worth mentioning that right after emigrating to #Latvia in 2013, #Ragozin published an article ambitiously titled “#Ukraine protests: The view from #Moscow”. There, he rants about “problems faced by the Russians in Ukraine,” “the danger posed by the Ukrainian nationalists,”…

10/20

…and the “artificial nature of #Ukraine’s borders.” Again, all this could’ve come directly from a #Kremlin-funded media. #Ragozin even blamed Ukraine for the anti-semitic pogroms in #Dagestan that took place in 2024 after the 7 Oct #Hamas terrorist attack.

11/20

But none of this is new. Already back in 2014, just 2 days after the #MH17 tragedy, Leonid published an article in English titled “Who is responsible for the MH-17 tragedy?” where he simply chose to speculate on “versions of the tragedy”, even gesturing towards #Ukraine.

12/20

Leonid sees Ukrainian “#Nazis” absolutely everywhere. Based on his tweets, one could even come to a conclusion that #Ukraine is at the brink of falling into the hands of the evil #Banderites — who for some reason have never passed 3% popularity in Ukrainian #elections.

13/20

In one of his op-eds for bne IntelliNews, #Ragozin emphasized #Hungary’s efforts in “promoting peace” for #Ukraine, and framed the evil Anglo-Saxon leaders as warmongers who sabotaged all #peace efforts with #Russia - as if any treaties with Russia could ever be trusted.

14/20

And Leonid still has a hard time believing any imperialistic tendencies of #Putin. According to him, Russia’s not fighting for territory, but for new red lines that would stop #NATO’s eastward expansion in the future. But this simply isn’t true, as #Russia is currently…

15/20

…in full #war economy, their education system has been transformed into a fascist #brainwashing machine, they’re force-recruiting #soldiers from occupied regions, and they’re provenly collaborating with #NorthKorean and #Chinese soldiers in their barbaric #invasion.

16/20

For someone who claims to be hunted by the #regime, Leonid still seems to find a way to visit his beloved home country. He’s made hundreds of trips to #Russia since 2014, and he was there even when the full-scale #invasion started (flew in on 17 Feb, left on 3 Mar).

17/20

And that’s not all - through 2020, #Ragozin worked for #Vremya, a newscast described as the “flagship #propaganda outlet” of #Russia. For being a harsh critic of the #Kremlin, Leonid had no trouble working for this state-funded propaganda mill.

Makes you wonder, eh?

18/20

We don’t need more #Russian commentators telling us that #Estonia is overreacting, that #Ukraine is being divisive, or that #NATO is to blame. We need voices committed to defending #democracy and Ukraine’s sovereignty — not to protecting #Russia’s reputation.

19/20

In today’s #VatnikSoup, I’ll introduce a #Russian journalist, Leonid #Ragozin.

He’s best-known for posing as a Russian dissident, while at the same time sneakily promoting the #Kremlin’s narratives about the Russo-Ukrainian #War.

1/20

To conclude: #Ragozin is a classic case of a Russian “#dissident” - someone who seemingly criticizes #Putin’s barbaric #invasion, yet at the same time telegraphs his willingness to help the country in its “#patriotic struggle”.

20/20