Thursday Screening: February 1, 2024
Russia's chief spin doctor and North Korea's lucrative state-managed criminal empire
Happy Thursday, I hope the week is treating you well.
Quick note: Despite Joy Reid’s lamentation that Joe Biden is “starting another fucking war” (amazingly in response to Iranian-backed militants murdering three of our servicemembers via an unprovoked drone attack) we are not engaged in a hot war with Iran. In fact, as of this writing America is fighting in precisely zero wars despite the misguided popular notion that launching isolated strikes against Yemeni, Iraqi, and Syrian terrorists constitutes being at war.
Anyway, moving on to the screening. This week our short-form is a look at a bumbling Russian Channel One Presenter, while our full-length is a documentary investigating the Kim dynasty’s cash pipeline.
The Soup Central: Vladimir Solovyov - Russia's Most Popular TV Propagandist
I have such a soft spot for the Finns, admittedly stemming from my childhood memories living in Helsinki: I spent 1998-2001 learning how to read, riding the smooth rock slide of Kaivopuisto park, and taking trips to the local fish market. The Finns are innovative, welcoming, and live in one of the least corrupt republics in the world (unfortunately right next door to the one of the worst neighbors possible). Finnish YouTuber and Twitter personality Pekka Kallioniemi hosts a tremendous series called The Soup Central where he discusses the global network of Russian vatniks. This week he published a ten minute biography of Russian propagandist, Vladimir Solovyov as part of his Kremlin Files series that explores the depths of human cynicism:
ENDEVR: Kim’s Cash Flow: The Brutal Money System of North Korea
I wrote a couple of weeks back about how North Korea is intimately entwined with the Russian war effort, has been exporting arms to the Middle East, and has been test firing missiles left and right. These destabilizing actions cost tons of money and North Korea is famously one of the most internationally isolated economies in the world. So how does the North Korean dictatorship afford such military hardware while also supporting the Kim dynasty’s luxurious lives? A complex state-run sanctions evasion agency mostly:
Thanks for taking the time, and I’ll catch you all on Monday for the newsletter as usual.