Riley Waggaman on Russian Technocracy | Jerm Warfare

Riley Waggaman, a former journalist and long-term resident of Russia known as Edward Slavsquat, shares his firsthand account of living in Russia for over a decade and his disillusionment with the country's state policies. He recounts his journey from idealistic support for Russian narratives to becoming a critic after witnessing the same technocratic overreach—such as mandatory vaccinations, QR code health passes, and digital surveillance—that he had previously seen in the West. His experiences, including his partner Katya’s sudden deportation from Russia based on her Telegram messages, underscore his central thesis: Russia is not a counterbalance to Western technocracy but an active participant in the global push toward digital control, surveillance, and centralized power. Waggaman argues that the so-called 'alternative' to the West offered by Russia is illusory, as Russia implements identical tools like CBDCs, biometric IDs, and carbon markets under the guise of sovereignty. He challenges the myth of Russian exceptionalism, emphasizing that all major powers—West, East, and BRICS—serve the same underlying agenda of control and profit, driven by oligarchic and technocratic elites. Ultimately, he calls for solidarity among ordinary people worldwide, urging listeners to reject state worship and instead build human connections beyond the power structures that exploit them.