re: well, it's probably time to assign blame over Soviet breakup isn't it?

quote:

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It follows a surge of patriotism since Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine last month, which has revived nostalgia among some Russians for the Soviet Union and boosted President Vladimir Putin's popularity ratings.

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The reports out of Russia about just how deep and ubiquitous the propaganda is these days is staggering. If Putin finally runs into any kind of wall where he can't do as he pleases so easily or actual sanctions are enacted that severely hurt the Russian economy, I could see the state-run TV and newspapers slip even further down the Orwellian slope towards North Korea levels of brainwashing. The "patriotism" reported in the news is a pretty shady paradigm.