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A
I've just been stunned by the beauty. I have not yet been able to run around St. Petersburg because we just got in yesterday, but I was in Moscow and Moscow was positively stunning. I've just been stunned by the beauty. I have not yet been able to run around St. Petersburg because we just got in yesterday, but I was in Moscow and Moscow was positively stunning. It defied I didn't really have any expectations, but if I had any, they would have been defied by just how clean, how safe, how beautiful, how historic the city is.
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That was hugely influential right wing pundit turned conspiracy gossip monger Candace Owens. She was being interviewed just this past week after appearing in a panel discussion at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. That's an annual conference sometimes referred to as the Russian Davos. It draws around 10,000 participants every year, including the heads of Russian international companies and top Russian government officials. It was started in 1997 as part of endeavors to let the world know that post Soviet Russia was open for business. But since 2022, business and political leaders from Western countries have largely boycotted the event due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Nonetheless, the conference does keep growing, and it's a hub for many nations, especially from the global south, who are comfortable forming economic alliances with dictatorships like Russia, Iran and North Korea, sometimes referred to by the acronym KRINK or called the Axis of Autocracy. And there are other controversial governments who attend as well, like Afghanistan's, the Taliban and the Donetsk People's Republic, which was illegally established in part of Russia, annexed Ukraine, and then of course, India, Turkey and the Gulf states. The conference is also understood in intelligence circles as being a hub for Kremlin agents forming relationships with journalists, diplomats and influencers who might be willing distributors of Russian propaganda. Americans in attendance this year included Candace, the Tate brothers in the midst of their rape and sex trafficking trial, fake martial artist and former film star Steven Seagal, and Trump's head of the Commission of Fine Arts, Rodney Mims Cook. It's almost too good to be true. Oh, and on that tip, it's worth noticing that Candace's appearance at the Spief involved speaking on a panel of influential figures with large families who produce content that focuses on family values.
A
What's become increasingly more frustrating is that they don't even think they need to articulate a reason for this is why you shouldn't like Russia, or this is why you should like Ukraine. They've become, in their own minds, so powerful that it's just a dictation. Like if this is we are telling you by creed that you should believe this and you should believe that, and we don't feel like it requires any further explanation. And that's no longer working. It may have served in older generations. It's certainly not working amongst the youth. And the more that they try to constrict and to control, the more that they lose a hold of the American mindset. They don't like independent people going out to speak because they know that it can fall outside of their narratives, typically because there's a more genuine pursuit of truth and understanding and it's hard to reflect. People don't remember because there's so many lies that were told. But at the beginning of the conflict with Ukraine, when I say they didn't even bother to articulate a reason, they were saying like basically that Vladimir Putin was sick and he had gone crazy and deranged. That was it. They have to be able to create a caricature of everyone, myself included, right? So the he's supposed to be unstable, I guess, unintelligent, angry and wanting to take over the West.
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So our story today is about a world influx and a through the looking glass digital media ecosystem in which strange alliances and diagonalist contradictions are more and more the case. Some of this is surely algorithmically driven via an attention economy that incentivizes sensational contrarianism, but there is more to it than that. So join me as we explore the current downstream effects of normalized conspiracism, authoritarianism, and cultish extremism here on Conspirituality Podcast. I'm Julian Walker and you're listening to a bonus episode titled Candace Owens and Maga's Russia Kink. Now you'll just hear this as a sample or a teaser if you're not yet subscribed via Patreon or Apple subscriptions. And stay tuned then to find out how to hear the whole episode and our entire six year archive of brilliant and lovingly created bonus materials from Derek Barris, Matthew Remsy, myself, who, as it turns out, don't always agree on everything. Which makes for some textured perspectives and good discussion in the comments. You've been listening to a conspirituality bonus episode sample. To continue listening, please head over to patreon.com conspirituality where you can access all of our main feed episodes ad free, as well as four years of bonus content that we've been producing. You can can also subscribe to our bonus episodes via Apple subscriptions. As independent media creators, we really appreciate your support.
Podcast Summary: Conspirituality – Bonus Sample: Candace Owens and MAGA’s Russia Kink
Release Date: June 15, 2026
Hosts: Derek Beres, Matthew Remski, Julian Walker (segment host: Julian Walker)
This bonus sample investigates the convergence of far-right influencers, American political figures, and “family values” branding at Russia’s most high-profile economic forum, contextualizing Candace Owens’ recent praise of Moscow’s virtues. The hosts dissect how Western alt-right personalities rationalize their alliances with authoritarian regimes and explore the broader cultural machinery—algorithms, cultivated polarity, and conspiratorial thinking—feeding a new “Axis of Autocracy.” The episode analyzes the risks posed by such conspiritual alignments, particularly the manipulation of digital discourse and the normalization of conspiracist claims.
“I've just been stunned by the beauty… If I had any expectations, they would have been defied by just how clean, safe, how beautiful, how historic the city is.” – Candace Owens (00:03)
Julian Walker provides context on SPIEF’s origins and current geopolitical significance.
Notable Moment:
“The conference is also understood in intelligence circles as being a hub for Kremlin agents forming relationships with journalists, diplomats and influencers who might be willing distributors of Russian propaganda.” – Julian Walker (01:56)
Owens’ Panel Role:
Criticizes what she perceives as top-down dictation of viewpoints by Western elites, especially regarding the Ukraine conflict.
Argues youth are less receptive to these narratives, seeking independent information instead.
Suggests public is told to caricature figures like Putin rather than engage with nuanced realities.
Quote:
“What's become increasingly more frustrating is that they don't even think they need to articulate a reason for: this is why you shouldn't like Russia, or this is why you should like Ukraine. They've become, in their own minds, so powerful that it's just a dictation… and that's no longer working… the more that they try to constrict and to control, the more that they lose a hold of the American mindset.” – Candace Owens (02:44)
She recalls claims made at the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, specifically the media portrayal of Putin as “deranged,” and equates this with the caricatured representation of herself and others.
Walker transitions to a macro view of the conspirituality landscape:
“Our story today is about a world in flux and a through the looking glass digital media ecosystem in which strange alliances and diagonalist contradictions are more and more the case. Some of this is surely algorithmically driven via an attention economy that incentivizes sensational contrarianism, but there is more to it than that.” – Julian Walker (04:00)
Meta Note:
The episode sample ends, with Walker inviting listeners to subscribe for the full analysis and access to their archive, affirming the value of textured debate among the co-hosts.
The tone is analytic and critical, blending reporting (Walker) with first-hand alt-right influencer rhetoric (Owens), and positioning the episode as a springboard to a larger exploration of how digital platforms and ideological echo chambers facilitate unlikely alliances, distort narratives, and elevate conspiratorial thinking to new heights of influence. The discussion underscores the growing complexity and volatility at the intersection of wellness, spirituality, and radical geopolitics—and promises critical tools for navigating this shifting terrain.
Note: This is a sample section; full analysis and additional context are available via the Conspirituality Patreon or Apple subscriptions.