Putin's War Russian Genocide - Social Media
Russia's Paper Tiger?
We didn’t have room in the book for an additional chapter on a variety of topics so we’ll be presenting deleted content as we grow closer to publication and some of that content is relevant to Phil’s talk. This chapter does not reflect Space Nazi’s destruction of Twitter, I assert at the behest of his direct partners and paymasters, Chinese & Saudi, and perhaps also Russian - he’s a very useful idiot. Oh, I was calling him Space Nazi long before his tweets made it absolutely clear.
(UPDATE 25 August 2024 - https://fortune.com/2024/08/22/elon-musk-x-twitter-owner-list/ - RUSSIANS)
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Russia's Media Soft Power - A Paper Tiger? Dustin Du Cane
A state’s "soft power", a phrase coined by Joseph Nye in 1990 is understood by Russia, incorrectly as the velvet around the iron glove of "hard power" such as its genocide artillery.[1] Russia"s soft power is bribery, corruption, whataboutism and cynicism, not attracting through shared positive values and positive image.[2]
Prior to Russia"s genocide invasion of Ukraine, the prevailing wisdom was that Russia possessed a soft power equivalent to its presumed military hard strength, in the form of masterful media control and manipulation.[3] This included traditional media channels such as television and print journalism as well as social media where Russian troll farms and edge-lords were assumed to be able to decide or at least influence US presidential elections, the Brexit vote and encourage populations to descend conspiracy madness.[4] Russia was the master of Facebook, Twitter, as well as Fox News, Reuters and the right-wing press, rarely acting directly but often through proxies.[5] A shadowy cyber organisation known as the Internet Research Agency became almost infamous as the GRU.[6] Yevgeny Prigozhin who was already mentioned in a previous chapter as the founder of Russia"s Dirlewanger Brigade, the Wagner company is linked to this organisation and its "web brigades".[7] Prigozhin is a strange sociopathic mixture of crook, cook, internet troll, warlord and perjurer - the last can be said fearlessly because while Prigozhin abused the British legal system vs Bellingcat over "allegations" he founded Wagner, he then actively recruited the scum of Russian prisons to his war criminal formation.[8] Mercenaries and lawyers are the velvet glove on Prigozhin"s soy sauce and moutarde stained iron fist.
Russia did indeed wheel out a wide spectrum of propaganda weapons in its war against Ukraine, to match its kinetic arsenal.[9] As mentioned propaganda lays the framework for genocide.[10] The same propaganda content can simultaneously justify the genocide to one set of listeners, usually an internal audience and obfuscate, smoke screen, the genocide to another audience, the external one. The propaganda war might have eclipsed the invisible cyber war that pundits claim is being waged.[11] Russia has however seemed unable to relentlessly and unambiguously scream genocidal intent, much to the benefit of future defence lawyer billable hours.[12] Russia gleefully terrorises Western audiences with constant threats of nuclear war - in breach of international law.[13]
An "information war" is said to be being waged.[14] What this term means is outside of the scope of this tiny subchapter.[15] Perhaps the success of "information war" can be judged on how public and elite opinion influences political actions aiding and abetting Russia and Ukraine, whether it be in the diplomatic, economic or military spheres - ranging from United Nations voting, public support or revolt for economic hardship as a result of Russian weaponizing of energy and food or supplies of advanced weapons to Ukraine or Russia…
The end effectiveness of Russian media influence remains to be judged after the war despite the seemingly prevalent opinion that its soft power has failed in winning the information war.[16]
A previous chapter covered Russian officials’ genocidal rants which hopefully will one day be presented as evidence before the ICC or other tribunal - which can be labelled a soft power failure. Social media can be a force for good when an ambassador of a genocidal state drunk tweets his own nonsense. The example of a tweet by the Russian Embassy in London was already given - that tweet both calls for murdering POWs while simultaneously can be presented as a heartfelt plea for "justice" from Mariupol residents abused by evil Azov fighters.[17]
Putin has pulled out wars, cancel culture, LGBT rights and even Satanism as part of his deranged propaganda package against the West, who it seems he sees Russia at war with while he annexes Ukrainian land in an absolutely illegal move.[18]. If we authors are on the side of the devils with this book, then Hail Satan![19] The effectiveness of this culture war framing of this genocide war remains to be seen. Putin"s soft power via rhetoric however can still be seen in India abstaining, as it did with Crimea, from a United Nations resolution censuring Russia.[20] Russia has also notably polluted the very terminology and framing of the war with journalists and media seemingly unable to refrain from writing such headlines as “Ukraine war: Russia completes land-grab as Kyiv"s territory annexed”.[21] The Reuters agency, rightly or wrongly, seems to be constantly the subject of Ukrainian ire for its framing.
A lawyer worth his salt will tell you that framing is very very important. It can completely change how a situation is judged or emotionally experienced. A good lawyer, and that includes diplomats, is a good framer.
Meanwhile, the elderly woman labelled "Babushka Z" who greeted Ukrainian soldiers with a Soviet flag has been Russian propaganda gold amid the ruins of its campaign against Ukraine.[23]
Alongside blatant Russian propaganda and media pollution, there function many "useful idiots" in the West. An useful idiot is a propaganda tool who does not comprehend he is being used or does not care.[24] Listing the useful idiots on the right spectrum in the USA is an exercise in tediousness and despair with the obvious links to MAGA and confidentiality classification distressed former President Trump.[25] Tucker Carlson"s cackling The Joker "just asking the question" gimmick pollutes cable tv in the USA as he repeats Russian talking points and seems to cheerlead criticism of Ukraine and admiration of Russian "prowess".[26] Presumably he conflates Ukraine with his despised President Biden and the real enemy of the USA and freedom, Hunter Biden.[27] On the subject of Hunter Biden, British actor and political personality Laurence Fox, who has close ties to the rubber boat hating sovereignty loving also British political personality Nigel Farage and appears to share his views on immigrants and Europe, appeared in a character attack film titled My Son Hunter with fellow right spectrum traveller Gina Carano.[28] Perhaps Prigozhin and Putin watched the film together in Putin"s dacha laughing over a nice veal dinner and a bottle of wine costing more than an average oblast, "Look that Hunter Biden, his laptop is more important than Bucha". It isn"t. Meanwhile a certain Michael Tracey, a self-labelled political commentator and journalist, in between never-ending denial of Russian military failure, engaged in taking pictures through fences at Polish military bases for unknown purposes and in September 2022 decided that the USA had in fact provoked the Holocaust during one of his rants about how the USA and NATO had provoked Russia into a genocidal defensive war.[29] As a note, Michael Tracey"s military photographing activities in Russia would have seen him subject to Soviet-era justice. Ironically another person who believes that "USA bad, therefore Russia good" justifies Russian genocide on Ukraine, Edward Snowden received Russian, citizenship, just as Putin started his "partial mobilisation" also in September 2022.[30] All three authors of this book suggest Snowden prove his love for his new rodina on the front-lines. Noted clueless prog-rocker Roger Waters after "westplaining" to Ukrainians and President Zelensky personally Russian genocide excuse talking points, cancelled concerts in Poland after a wave of outrage among Poles, who then also westplained to the Poles that they were being lied to by their newspapers.[31] Poles somewhat like Ukrainians and dislike Russians, Mr Rogers. On the subject of westplaining, the British Academy decided to hold a conference to which no Ukrainians were initially invited.[32] The term tankie, once referring to hard-line Western Stalinists who cheered on the tanks of Russia"s genocidal Soviet empire as it crushed revolt and hope throughout Central and Eastern Europe, has been revived to refer to the bane of social media, young people who believe in the rhetoric of Russia.[33] Internet sex-tourist turned something, British citizen Graham Philips was labelled by the Sun tabloid as "Pro-Putin Brit who taunted POW" and has found himself sanctioned as well as labelled by MPs a "war criminal".[34] He might want to study the Rome Statute intensely, a complimentary copy of this book will not find its way into his sticky hands.
It seemed before the war that Russian propaganda and media soft power was a juggernaut that would deliver victory in the nebulous "information war", whatever that is. However that promise has not been delivered fully or even partially in the West. It may however be delivering in the so-called Global South, of which India, a presumptive future Security Council member, is a prime example.[35] Of course, one aspect of the information war and media impact is quite nebulous, how is Russian propaganda affecting domestic reception in Russia and does that even matter?[36]
The daily genocidal rantings of Russia media talking heads are astonishing to outside observers. The genocidal intent of Russia"s leaders, military and to some degree society are easily establishable through the daily stream of murder rhetoric. Not since the days of Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines in Rwanda has such genocidal filth been blasted over the air waves.[37] The Nazis did not publicly make the statements that Russian media sinks to on a daily basis, with threats of Götterdämmerung, nuclear genocide and day to day annihilation. Former puppet Russian president Medvedev quotes Russian nuclear doctrine openly in the context of Russia losing it"s genocide war.[38] Perhaps this book will never be published if such insane rhetoric goes unchecked. Hopefully, you will be reading this. Russian sanctioned journalist Julia Davis" Twitter tagline is "I watch Russian state TV, so you don’t have to."[39]
Internet trolls were mentioned earlier, and as a final note, it would be inappropriate to not discuss the internet collective of NAFO - North Atlantic Fella Organisation.[40] An internet Shiba dog meme turned global phenomenon, which both raised money for Ukrainian causes, lethal and non-lethal but also relentlessly trolls tankies and Russian officials, pushing back with humour, sarcasm and facts on Russian internet soft power.[41] NAFO is accused of being a CIA front.[42] The authors of this book also admit to being CIA agents and we are laughing from our Jamaican paradise getaway bought with the millions, sorry billions, the CIA has paid us out of the same fund as NAFO. NAFO pushes back on Russian blatant lies with sarcasm, absurd humour and infuriating distortion of Russian talking points. The loose organisation also carries out drives to buy equipment for fighters on the Ukrainian side, including offering personalised messages on weapons fired or dropped on Russian targets for donations.
NAFO will be the subject of many a PhD in the future.
It seems that Russia is somewhat losing the ‘information war’ or ‘propaganda war’, whatever they are, in the West despite its previous fearsome kingmaker reputation in this field. But the world is not limited to the West and how Russian propaganda affects perception in the rest of the world is an important topic to study.
[1] “Soft power is the ability to obtain preferred outcomes by attraction rather than coercion or payment.” Joseph Nye, “Soft Power: The Origins and Political Progress of a Concept”. Palgrave Communications 3, no. 1 (21 February 2017): 17008. https://doi.org/10.1057/palcomms.2017.8.
[2] Jarosław Ćwiek-Karpowicz, "Limits to Russian soft power in the post-Soviet area", in Economization versus Power Ambitions, ed. Stefan Meister (Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, 2013), 47–58, https://doi.org/10.5771/9783845241968-47.
[3] Christopher Rand, and Miriam Matthews, "The Russian “Firehose of Falsehood” Propaganda Model". RAND Corporation, 11 July 2016. https://www.rand.org/pubs/perspectives/PE198.html. Alexander Sergunin, and Leonid Karabeshkin. "Understanding Russia's Soft Power Strategy". POLITICS 35(3-4) (2015): 347–63. https://doi.org/doi: 10.1111/1467-9256.12109. Russia in Global Affairs. "The Rise and Fall of Russia's Soft Power". Accessed 1 October 2022. https://eng.globalaffairs.ru/articles/rise-fall-russias-soft-power/.
[4] Manuel Roig-Franzia, , Rosalind Helderman, William Booth, and Tom Hamburger, "How the “Bad Boys of Brexit” Forged Ties with Russia and the Trump Campaign — and Came under Investigators" Scrutiny", 28 June 2018. Manuel Roig-Franzia et al., "How the “Bad Boys of Brexit” Forged Ties with Russia and the Trump Campaign — and Came under Investigators" Scrutiny", 28 June 2018. Dan Sabbagh ,"Johnson and May Ignored Claims Russia Had'' Likely Hold” over Trump, Ex-Spy Alleges". The Guardian, 22 June 2020, sec. World news. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/22/boris-johnson-theres-may-ignored-claims-russia-had-likely-hold-over-donald-trump-ex-spy-christopher-steele-claims. Ken Gude, "Russia"s 5th Column". Center for American Progress (blog). Accessed 1 October 2022. https://www.americanprogress.org/article/russias-5th-column/.
[5] Mike Isaac and Daisuke Wakabayash, "Russian Influence Reached 126 Million Through Facebook Alone - The New York Times". Accessed 1 October 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/30/technology/facebook-google-russia.html. Deen Freelon, and Tetyana Lokot, "Russian Twitter Disinformation Campaigns Reach across the American Political Spectrum". The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) Misinformation Review 1, no. 1 (n.d.). https://doi.org/10.37016/mr-2020-003. Liz, Wahk, "I"m a Former Russian TV Anchor. Right-Wing Media Mimics Russian Media." Daily Beast, 27 February 2022.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/im-a-former-russian-tv-anchor-right-wing-media-mimics-russian-media. Max Tani, "Reuters Staff Raise Alarms over Partnership with Russian-Owned Wire Service - POLITICO", 20 March 2022. https://www.politico.com/news/2022/03/20/reuters-staff-partnership-russian-wire-service-00018779. Associated Press. "Meta Disables Russian Propaganda Network Targeting Europe". VOA, 27 September 2022. https://www.voanews.com/a/meta-disables-russian-propaganda-network-targeting-europe/6765107.html.
[6] "Internet Research Agency - Wikipedia''. In Wikipedia, accessed 1 October 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Research_Agency.
[7] "Russian Web Brigades - Wikipedia". In Wikipedia, accessed 28 September 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Russian_web_brigades&oldid=1112857103.
[8] Pjotr Sauer, "Putin Ally Yevgeny Prigozhin Admits Founding Wagner Mercenary Group | Russia | The Guardian". 26 September 2022. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/26/putin-ally-yevgeny-prigozhin-admits-founding-wagner-mercenary-group. Wilhelmine Preussen, "Russian Oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin Admits He Created the Mercenary Wagner Group". POLITICO, 26 September 2022. https://www.politico.eu/article/yevgeny-prigozhin-admits-that-he-created-the-wagner-group/.
[9] "Russian Information War against Ukraine - Wikipedia". In Wikipedia, accessed 29 September 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Russian_information_war_against_Ukraine&oldid=1113094157. McCue Jury & Partners, "Yevgeniy Prigozhin"s SLAPP Action against Bellingcat Founder Is Struck out - McCue Jury & Partners", 18 May 2022. https://www.mccue-law.com/yevgeniy-prigozhins-action-against-bellingcat-founder-struck-out/. It is rare for lawyers to refer other lawyers to disciplinary authorities for their actions.
[10] Mohamed Elewa Badar, "The Road to Genocide: The Propaganda Machine of the Self-Declared Islamic State (Is)". International Criminal Law Review 16, no. 3 (27 May 2016): 361–411. https://doi.org/10.1163/15718123-01603004.
[11] Patrick Howell O’Neil, “The Propaganda War Has Eclipsed Cyberwar in Ukraine”. MIT Technology Review, 2 March 2022. https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/03/02/1046646/the-propaganda-war-has-eclipsed-cyberwar-in-ukraine/.
[12] Alexey Kovalev,”Russia’s Ukraine Propaganda Has Turned Fully Genocidal”. Foreign Policy (blog). Accessed 2 October 2022. https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/04/09/russia-putin-propaganda-ukraine-war-crimes-atrocities/.
[13] “Latest Developments | Legality of the Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons | International Court of Justice”. ICJ Website. Accessed 4 October 2022. https://www.icj-cij.org/en/case/95. The list of Russian threats direct or indirect, is too tedious to list.
[14] Alek Tkachenko, "The West Must Help Ukraine Win The Information War As Well". Financial Times. Accessed 1 October 2022. https://www.ft.com/content/46da1944-4ba3-48cf-83c0-ecdee557076e.
[15] Refer for instance to Matthew Ford, and Andrew Hoskins, Radical War. (London: Hurst Publishers, 2022).
[16] Jon Roozenbeek, "Opinion: The Failure of Russian Propaganda". University of Cambridge, 3 May 2022. https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/donbaspropaganda. Danielle Pletka, "Russian Propaganda Finds a Home in Italian Media". Foreign Policy (blog), 13 September 2022. https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/09/13/russian-propaganda-italy-media-disinformation-ukraine-war/.
[17] Dustin Du Cane, "Russian Embassy Demands War Crimes, Twitter Doesn"t Mind (Update with Drunk Ambassador).” Fallout (blog), 14 August 2022.
Dustin Du Cane
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[18] "Putin's Speech on Annexation: What Exactly Did He Say? | Russia-Ukraine War News | Al Jazeera". Accessed 1 October 2022. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/9/30/russia-ukraine-war-putins-annexation-speech-what-did-he-say.
[19] Lionel Beehner and Thomas Sherlock, "Putin Is Trying to Turn Ukraine Into a Culture War". Foreign Policy (blog), 9 September 2022. https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/09/09/putin-russia-ukraine-culture-war-conservative-values/.
[20] Sushini Haidar, "Analysis | Despite Speculation in the West, India Abstains Again at UNSC on Resolution against Russia Referendums - The Hindu", 1 October 2022. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/analysis-despite-speculation-in-the-west-india-abstains-again-at-unsc-on-resolution-against-russia-referendums/article65958682.ece.
[21] Matt Murphy, "Ukraine War: Russia Completes Land-Grab as Kyiv"s Territory Annexed". BBC News. Accessed 1 October 2022. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63095436.
[22] Business Ukraine Mag, "This Reuters Headline is a classic example of the international media legitimizing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine". Tweet. Twitter, 28 September 2022.
https://twitter.com/Biz_Ukraine_Mag/status/1575086918169083904.
[23] Sofia Bettiza and Svyatoslav Khomenko, "Babushka Z: The Woman Who Became a Russian Propaganda Icon - BBC News", 15 June 2022. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61757667.
[24] "Useful Idiot - Wikipedia". In Wikipedia, accessed on 22 September 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Useful_idiot&oldid=1111765879. David Graham, "Putin's Useful Idiots - The Atlantic", 24 February 2022. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/02/russia-ukraine-war-republican-response/622919/.
[25] Robert Tracinski, "Putin's Useful Idiots on the American Right". Discourse, 28 February 2022. https://www.discoursemagazine.com/politics/2022/02/28/putins-useful-idiots-on-the-american-right/.
[26] Thomas Kika, "Fox News Host Tucker Carlson Mocked as Ukrainians Force Russia to Retreat". Newsweek, 10 September 2022. https://www.newsweek.com/fox-news-host-tucker-carlson-mocked-ukrainians-force-russia-retreat-1741805. UPROXX, "'' Jimmy Kimmel Compared Tucker Carlson To Joker After Hearing His Laugh", 22 April 2021. https://uproxx.com/tv/jimmy-kimmel-tucker-carlson-laugh/. Matt Johnson, "Why Tucker Carlson Hates Ukraine so Much | Opinion | Opinion". Haaretz.com. Accessed 1 October 2022. https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/2022-04-18/ty-article-opinion/why-tucker-carlson-hates-ukraine-so-much/.
[27] Mona Charen, "Conservatives Are the New Useful Idiots". The Bulwark, 14 September 2022. https://www.thebulwark.com/conservatives-are-the-new-useful-idiots/.
[28] "My Son Hunter (2022) - IMDb". Accessed 1 October 2022. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15481952/.
[29] Philip Blood, "Blood"s Response to Michael Tracey". Fallout (blog). 27 September 2022.
Dustin Du Cane
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[30] Pjotr Sauer, "Putin Grants Russian Citizenship to US Whistleblower Edward Snowden", 26 September 2022. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/sep/26/putin-grants-russian-citizenship-to-us-whistleblower-edward-snowden.
[31] "Pink Floyd"s Roger Waters Declared Persona Non Grata by Polish City over Ukraine War Views | Notes From Poland". 29 September 2022. https://notesfrompoland.com/2022/09/29/pink-floyds-roger-waters-declared-persona-non-grata-by-polish-city-over-ukraine-war-views/.
[32] Ben Skipper, "Discussing Ukraine: Academic Exclusivity and Willful Ignorance of the Empirical". Fallout (blog). 13 September 2022.
. I am Polish with family from Lviv and Ukrainian ancestry, Christoper Bellamy has extensively studied the region for decades and so has Philip Blood - we have some insight.
[33] Nicholas Lezard, "Surprisingly for the Post-Communist Era, the “Tankie” Rises from the Mists of History - New Statesman", 16 March 2022. https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/life/2022/03/surprisingly-for-the-post-communist-era-the-tankie-rises-from-the-mists-of-history. "Ukraine Update: The Tankies Don"t Have a Coherent Explanation as to Why Russian Is Losing", 14 September 2022. https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/9/13/2122694/-Ukraine-Update-The-Tankies-don-t-have-a-coherent-explanation-as-to-why-Russian-is-losing.
[34] Nick Parker, "Police Investigate Pro-Putin Brit Who Taunted Ukraine PoW in Video Following His Capture | The Sun", 29 September 2022. https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/19916788/police-investigate-pro-putin-brit-ukraine-pows/.
[35] "How Russia Is Trying to Win over the Global South | The Economist", 22 September 2022. https://www.economist.com/international/2022/09/22/how-russia-is-trying-to-win-over-the-global-south.
[36] The Economist, "The Putin Show", 17 May 2022. https://www.economist.com/interactive/international/2022/05/17/the-putin-show.
[37] Amanda Grzyb and Amy Freier, "The Role of Radio Télévision Libre Des Mille Collines in the 1994 Rwandan Genocide". In Controversies in the Field of Genocide Studies. London: Routledge, 2017.
[38] Guy Faulconbridge and Caleb Davis, "Medvedev Raises Spectre of Russian Nuclear Strike on Ukraine". Reuters, 27 September 2022, sec. Europe. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russias-medvedev-warns-west-that-nuclear-threat-is-not-bluff-2022-09-27/.
[39] "Julia Davis (@JuliaDavisNews) / Twitter". Accessed 1 October 2022. https://twitter.com/JuliaDavisNews.
[40] "NAFO (Group) - Wikipedia". In Wikipedia, Accessed 1 October 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=NAFO_(group)&oldid=1113372834.
[41] Adam Taylor, "With NAFO, the North Atlantic Fellas Organization, Ukraine Turns the Trolls on Russia - The Washington Post". Washington Post, 1 September 2022. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/09/01/nafo-ukraine-russia/. Dustin Du Cane, "Trolling 3.0". Fallout (blog), 31 August 2022.
Dustin Du Cane
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[42] Kim Dotcom, "The #NAFO social media terrorists run by US / UA intelligence services have changed their rules of engagement to NO DEBATING and NO ENGAGING after they debated me and were exposed as utterly uneducated crybaby fanatics". Tweet. Twitter, 1 October 2022.
https://twitter.com/KimDotcom/status/1576238209058869248.
[43] Mikhail Ulyanov [@Amb_Ulyanov]. ‘@LivFaustDieJung You pronounced this Nonsense. Not me.’ Tweet. Twitter, 19 June 2022.
https://twitter.com/Amb_Ulyanov/status/1538562863199141889.
[44] ✙ Copesint Central ✙ 🇱🇹🇺🇸🇵🇱🇩🇪🇺🇦 [@copesint], "@BravoKilo6464 @Amb_Ulyanov @LivFaustDieJung You Pronounced this nonsense. Not him.", Tweet, Twitter, 19 June 2022,
https://twitter.com/copesint/status/1538586651831959552.
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