television networks because they were no longer willing to pass off false information and

other Russian propaganda as news. Instead of getting mired down in the truth-in-media-debate

or picking apart each individual news story, let’s just look at what we know about Russian

public opinion. Is the Russian public’s version of world events different than the

West’s?

Let’s start with the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine this past

July. According to recent polls by the Levada Center, 82% of Russians believe MH17 was brought

down by a Ukrainian fighter plane or missile. And only 3% believe that Russian Separatists

were to blame for the crash. Most of the rest of the world, including the UN and the US,

believe that Russian Separatists were responsible for the attack; a belief that’s led to increased

international sanctions on Russia, which is basically the international diplomacy equivalent

of a guilty verdict.

In addition, according to the Russian Public Opinion Research Center, 43% of Russians believe

that the conflict in Ukraine was caused by “Western actions”. And 38% blame “Western

leaders” for further escalating it. Meanwhile, 61% of Americans polled by CBS don’t want

the US to get involved in the conflict at all. Meaning, Americans don’t see themselves

as a part of this conflict, and they’d like to keep it that way.

In the midst of all of this, 87% of Russians approve of Putin and 66% believe that Russia

is “moving in the right direction.” Obviously, the Western World disagrees. A third of Germans

polled by the Forsa Institute fear that if Russia continues on its current path, a war

could break out between Russia and NATO. According to recent Gallup polls, more than 69% of Americans

have an unfavorable opinion of Putin. 68% now see Russia as a potential Enemy, and 50%

think the US and Russia are heading towards another cold war.

If all of these disparities are to be believed, then there’s a clear disconnect between

the information that Russian people are getting, and the information that’s getting to the

rest of the world. Right now, 90% of Russians are closely following news coverage of the

crisis in Ukraine. 76% of them think that Russian state run media is a reliable source

for news, while only 5% think that Western Media is reliable.

Granted, all of the information in this report comes from various media groups and polling

centers, all of which could have their own agendas and influence on public opinion. So,

it’s impossible to say with complete certainty what the Russian public really believes. If

you’re Russian and you have an opinion on this, please let us know in the comments below.

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