Most Russians support invasion of Georgia
By MARIA DANILOVA
Associated Press
August 20, 2008
Page 2 of 2
Such attitudes are encouraged by the reporting of Russia's state-controlled television networks, which have focused on the casualties and destruction inflicted by the Georgian military and vilified Saakashvili as an aggressive puppet of Washington. One state-run network went as far as interview a psychiatrist who charged that the Georgian leader was insane.
Masha Lipman, an analyst at the Carnegie Moscow Center think tank, said that the absence of a free media means Russians have little access to independent sources of information.
"Russian society is a very easy target for propaganda," she said.
Some, however, remained unconvinced and believed Russia had reacted disproportionately. Debates on the conflict in Georgia raged among Russian bloggers, with many criticizing government actions.
"Georgia, with all its sins -- and it has big ones -- did not attack Russia, wrote Moscow blogger Alexander Samarzev. "And calls to completely destroy it -- which have been voiced here -- are fascist calls."
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