From the online publication Pravda.ru (no relation to the old newspaper) we have confirmation that the fine old Russian tradition of paranoia is alive and well. In an interview with Utro, Colonel-General Leonid Ivashov,
vice-president of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems, had this to say:
We received NATO’s invitation for some of its military exercises, such as Balttops or the maneuvers in Poland. But all exercises always have two stages. First – when Navy is capturing terrorists’ submarine. By the way, how can a sub with terrorists appear in the Baltic Sea? After capturing the sub, the commanders drink Champaign and say good-bye to the guests. Then the second, real stage of exercises starts – landing on the seashore with aviation support and destroying enemy”s objects, taking over settlements, destroying enemy”s aviation. All this is aimed against Russian Baltic Fleet.
He also has some extremely interesting things to say about the effects of mass media on opinion-forming among young people in Russia. As they say, read the whole thing.
