Copyright © 2021 Euromaidanpress.com

The work of Euromaidan Press is supported by the International Renaissance Foundation

When referencing our materials, please include an active hyperlink to the Euromaidan Press material and a maximum 500-character extract of the story. To reprint anything longer, written permission must be acquired from [email protected].

Privacy and Cookie Policies.

Putin voodoo doll seeking donations on Kickstarter

Article by: Mary Mycio

Philadelphia, PA. A group in the US has launched a Kickstarter campaign to fight Russian President Vladimir Putin with mockery. The project, called “VATNIK: The Putin Voodoo Magnet” aims to raise $5000 to produce voodoo doll-refrigerator magnets with Putin’s face that can be stuck with Ukrainian flag pins.

“Vatnik” is the Russian word for a padded or quilted jacket. It also a derogatory term that Ukrainians use to refer to people who believe in Putin’s propaganda – because they must have cotton stuffing for brains. “What better to symbolize them than a stuffed Putin Voodoo Doll?” asks the project’s Kickstarter page.

Kickstarter is a popular platform for online crowd-funding, a way of raising money from large numbers of contributors, usually online. So far, the VATNIK project has raised close to $2200 in pledges. But the goal must be reached by December 31 or the project will get nothing and the pledges will be fully refunded. But if it succeeds, a portion of sales will be donated to help the Ukrainian army.

The activists who created the project call themselves “Voodoo Politics” and do not want to reveal their identities. Their spokesperson, Mary Mycio, a Pennsylvania-based writer and lawyer with many years of experience in Ukraine, calls them the “little green men” of anti-Putinism.

“Little green men” was one name given to the Russian troops who wore no insignia when they invaded the Crimean peninsula earlier this year. Since the conflict spread to eastern Ukraine in the spring, nearly 5,000 people have died.

“If Putin can deny that he’s backing the ‘vatniks’, Voodoo Politics’ members can deny anything to do with the VATNIK project,” says Mycio, who also helped with a successful Kickstarter for the documentary: The Babushkas of Chernobyl, due out this winter. “Irony is integral to the project, which also includes making videos and memes of VATNIK’s in funny scenes composed of dollar store toys.”

According to the Kickstarter description, the VATNIKs are form of “weaponizing humor in the information wars.” “We think they’re hilarious,” Mycio adds, “and deadly serious.” If the product is commercially successful, it could provide a steady stream of donations that none of Voodoo Politics’ members could individually afford.

If the Kickstarter succeeds, donations from the first production run will go to Ukraine’s 92nd Mechanized Brigade, in cooperation with the Facebook group “1,000,000 people around the world in support of Ukraine’s fight for freedom”. The group, created by Ed Sibicki, a New Jersey-based wealth manager, has “adopted” that unit for members to support.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1437031348/vatnik-the-putin-voodoo-magnet 

Contact: [email protected]

Mary Mycio: 610-430-1437

Dino-Vatnik2 w copy

Army%20capture%203w%20copy

Braveheart%20w%20copy

VATNIK torture w copy

Army_Vatnik%20w%20copy%20(2)

 

You could close this page. Or you could join our community and help us produce more materials like this.  We keep our reporting open and accessible to everyone because we believe in the power of free information. This is why our small, cost-effective team depends on the support of readers like you to bring deliver timely news, quality analysis, and on-the-ground reports about Russia's war against Ukraine and Ukraine's struggle to build a democratic society. A little bit goes a long way: for as little as the cost of one cup of coffee a month, you can help build bridges between Ukraine and the rest of the world, plus become a co-creator and vote for topics we should cover next. Become a patron or see other ways to support. Become a Patron!
Total
0
Shares
Related Posts

March 10: Pro-Russian collaborators have managed to create 3 “powerful tactical groups.

Le 10 mars – "Lors des dernières 24 heures, neuf soldats ont été blessés dans la zone de l'opération antiterroriste, aucune perte." – le porte-parole de l'ATO, Andriy Lyssenko.

Le 10 mars – Pendant la "trêve", les forces militaires russes et les collaborateurs pro-russes ont réussi à créer des "groupes tactiques de choc" dans les régions suivantes:

le Nord – en direction de Donetsk,

la zone côtière – en direction de Marioupol,

Louhansk – en direction du nord de la région.

En fait, ils ont réussi à créer une armée à partir de groupes criminels disparates.

Le 10 mars – Les analystes américains du Bureau Strafor estiment que la Russie peut continuer à soutenir les terroristes du Donbass et occuper toute la rive gauche de l'Ukraine.

Le 10 mars – "Le Tribunal international de La Haye pourrait etudier "la question de la Crimée", alors que toutes les différences entre la Russie et l'UE devraient être traitées en vertu du droit international." – déclaration du ministre des Affaires étrangères d'Espagne, Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo lors d'une conférence de presse après sa rencontre avec le ministre des Affaires étrangères de la Federation de Russie, Sergueï Lavrov.

Le 10 mars – "Les militants terroristes continuent à détruire systématiquement le Donbass. Près du village d'Orikhove (district de Popasna, région de Louhansk), des inconnus ont fait sauter un pont de chemin de fer." – le porte-parole de l'ATO, Andriy Lyssenko.

Le 10 mars – Le ministre des Affaires étrangères d'Ukraine, Pavlo Klimkin a déclaré que les militants terroristes ne permettent pas à l'OSCE de surveiller le processus du retrait de leurs armes lourdes.

Le 10 mars – Le dollar est tombé à 21,7 hryvnias ukrainiennes.

Le 10 mars – Lors d'une conversation téléphonique avec le président français, François Hollande, le président de l'Ukraine, Petro Porochenko a déclaré qu'il n'y avait aucun progrès en ce qui concerne les négociations sur la libération de tous les otages, y compris Nadia Savtchenko.

P.S.: Faîtes circuler cet appel, SVP!

February 3: Russia began using barrier troops, which shoot its own army in the back

February 3 – Russia began using barrier troops, which shoot its own army in the back, so that pro-Russian terrorists and Russian soldiers have nowhere to retreat. Putin, Stalin – can you see the difference? The retreat of pro-Russian terrorists near the town of Vuhlehirsk was stalled by barrier troops of the Dzerzhinsky Division of Russian Interior Ministry, – informed NSDC spokesman Andriy Lysenko.

February 3 – "There are almost no printed media in Ukrainian and no official versions of regional and municipal media in Ukrainian in Crimea today. Only one Ukrainian television show is being broadcast out of four that had existed before. Internet websites in Ukrainian are being disabled for Crimean residents", – stated Valeriya Lutkovska, Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights.

February 3 – ATO press center informs that after another Putin's "humanitarian aid convoy" has arrived in Ukraine, the number of attacks and their intensity has increased again, said ATO spokesman Olekdsandr Motuzyanyk. "After another convoy arrived from Russia, the number of attacks and their intensity has intensified significantly. That is to say that they [the militants and regular troops] basically received the ammunition they needed. Otherwise a question arises – where do the militants get so much ammunition from if they are able to continue attacks almost around the clock".

February 3 – At NATO headquarters they expect that in the near future Russian Federation will continue to absorb unrecognized territories that appeared as a result of conflicts involving Russia, – stated NATO official during a meeting with journalists (who asked not to be named).

February 3 – President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko plans to meet with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the end of this week, – informed NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu.

February 3 – in NATO headquarters they say that they expect a noticeable deterioration of the situation during the time of the interaction with journalists a NATO high official who asked that his name not be divulged, reported from Brussels a correspondent of European Truth. "Russia is ready to support the conflict in Ukraine as long as there will not be a political solution which suits Moscow. AAnd in this is the root of the problem," stated the representative of the Alliance. "No one knows how long the conflict in Ukraine will last and how specifically will be resolved. However, there are all reasons to expect that the safety situatioon in eastern Ukraine will deteriorate. And the proof of this lies not only in the events of the last few days but also in earlier facts," he added. The co-speaker also mentioned that Russia is strengthening its activity in the conflict. "The possible deterioration of the safety situation is also supported by the increaseof Russian presence in eastern Ukraine and we have valid affirmations to assuredly state that the Russian army is acting on the side of the separatists," he emphasized.

Ivo Daalder, Michele Flournoy, John Herbst, Jan Lodal, Steven Pifer, James Stavridis, Strobe Talbott and Charles Wald

Preserving Ukraine's Independence, Resisting Russian Aggression: What the United States and NATO Must Do

Six Ways to Help Ukraine Resist Russia's Latest Invasion

Add energy giant Gazprom and Putin to the sanctions list. Above all: Send military hardware Kiev urgently needs.

Jackson Diehl

Obama's fight with his own party over foreign policy

Janusz Bugajski

Arm Ukraine to Avoid Another Bosnia

Paul Sonne

Death Toll Mounts as Ukraine Cease-Fire Talks Break Down

Endrew E. Kramer

Rebels Set Sights on Small Eastern Ukraine Town

Conflict Leaves Ukrainian Neighborhood Divided, Terrified

Ukraine's ability to fight separatist forces is tested by economic and military challenges

Michael R. Gordon and Eric Schmitt

U.S. Considers Supplying Arms to Ukraine Forces, Officials Say

P.S.: Please spread this appeal as much as possible.