SURVEY: TWO-THIRDS OF RUSSIANS FEAR NATO ATTACK
April 3, 1999
Web posted at: 1:22 p.m. EST (1822 GMT)
MOSCOW (CNN) -- Nearly two-thirds of all Russians say their country has reason to fear a NATO attack, according to a recent survey.
The poll, conducted by the Russian Center for Public Opinion, found that 63 percent of Russian citizens believe NATO could be a threat.
"This attack on Yugoslavia is just a dress rehearsal for NATO," said Moscow taxi driver Anatoly Kuznetsov.
Russian television news stations show the same pictures of NATO strikes against Yugoslavia that Westerners see. But the two largest television channels in Russia -- both of which are controlled by the government -- give the story a different slant.
According to Russian news reports, NATO airstrikes -- not Serb paramilitary and Yugoslav army troop action -- are responsible for the plight of hundreds of thousands of refugees who have left their homes in Kosovo for neighboring countries.
"The refugees are trying to save themselves from the NATO bombing. Instead of preventing a humanitarian catastrophe, NATO is causing one," one Russian news report said.
Many refugees say they were ordered out of Kosovo by Serb forces in a campaign of "ethnic cleansing." Yugoslav officials deny those reports, saying the refugees are fleeing NATO airstrikes and fighting between Yugoslav troops and ethnic Albanian guerrillas.
Russian news reports reflect the Yugoslav position.
"We try to bring the Russian government's viewpoint to our viewers," said RTR news anchor Dmitry Borisov.
But analysts warn that stirring up anti-Western sentiment could backfire on the Russian government.
"The danger is that they might energize nationalism, xenophobia, anti-Western feelings that they will not be in a position to control," said Andrei Kortunov.
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