>>> WELCOME BACK TO "MORNING
JOE."
PEOPLE ACROSS THE WORLD HAVE
SEEN THE SHOCKING IMAGES COMING
OUT OF UKRAINE.
UNLESS THEY LIVE IN RUSSIA.
THERE THE RUSSIAN PEOPLE HAVE
BEEN SHIELDED FROM THE REALITY
OF WAR.
JOINING US NOW WITH THIS PART OF
THE STORY IS NBC NEWS
CORRESPONDENT COVERING NATIONAL
SECURITY AND INTELLIGENCE, KEN
DILANIAN.
WHAT DID YOU FIND OUT?
WHAT ARE THEY SEEING?
>> GOOD MORNING, MIKA, JOE, AND
WILLIE.
A RECENT INDEPENDENT POLL FOUND
THAT RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR
PUTIN HAS AN 83% APPROVAL RATING
AND 81% OF RUSSIANS SUPPORT THE
WAR IN UKRAINE.
IT'S FAIR TO QUESTION IF THE
NUMBERS ARE THAT HIGH, BUT MOST
EXPERTS AGREE A MAJORITY OF
RUSSIAN SUPPORT, PUTIN AND THIS
WAR.
WE WANTED TO UNDERSTAND HOW THAT
COULD POSSIBLY BE.
WHAT WE LEARNED IS RUSSIANS HAVE
BEEN FED A STEADY DIET OF
PROPAGANDA FOR YEARS THAT HAS
LAID THE GROUNDWORK FOR THEM TO
BELIEVE THEIR GOVERNMENT'S LIES
ABOUT THE WAR.
TAKE A LOOK.
>> Reporter: FOR THOSE WATCHING
TELEVISION NEWS IN RUSSIA, THERE
IS NO WAR IN UKRAINE, ONLY A
SPECIAL MILITARY OPERATION
DESIGNED TO ROOT OUT NAZIS, AND
IT'S ALL GOING ACCORDING TO
PLAN.
THOSE PICTURES OF BOMBED-OUT
CITIES, THE UKRAINIANS DID IT TO
THEMSELVES, RUSSIAN STATE MEDIA
INSISTS.
IT SOUNDS BIZARRE TO WESTERN
EARS, BUT EXPERTS SAY MANY, IF
NOT MOST RUSSIANS, BELIEVE IT.
>> IT'S TERRIFYING THE EFFECT
THIS PROPAGANDA IS HAVING ON
ORDINARY RUSSIANS.
>> Reporter: ALEXI KOVALEV IS A
REPORTER AT A RUSSIAN
INDEPENDENT NEWS SIGHT.
HE LEFT MOSCOW IN MARCH AS
VLADIMIR PUTIN'S GOVERNMENT
CRACKED DOWN ON THE FEW
REMAINING VOICES OF DISSENT.
KOVALEV AND OTHERS FAMILIAR WITH
THE RUSSIAN MEDIA LANDSCAPE SAY
YEARS OF DISINFORMATION BY STATE
THE STATE HAS LEFT MUCH OF THE
PUBLIC IN THE GRIP OF CONSPIRACY
THEORIES.
>> IT'S A CRIMINAL OFFENSE TO
CALL IT WAR AND RUSSIA IS
CONDUCTING A SPECIAL OPERATION
TO LIBERATE UKRAINE FROM THE
NAZIS.
WE DIDN'T EXPECT BASICALLY THE
ENTIRE UKRAINE IS NAZIS.
I'M NOT KIDDING YOU, NOT
EXAGGERATING.
IT'S A QUOTE.
>> Reporter: SINCE THE INVASION,
THE KREMLIN HAS SHUT DOWN
INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM AND MADE
IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR RUSSIANS TO
ACCESS FACEBOOK, TWITTER, AND
INTERNATIONAL NEWS SITES.
EVEN BEFORE THAT, MOST RUSSIANS
WERE FED A DIET OF LIES.
MICHAEL IS A FLUENT RUSSIAN
SPEAKER WHO PLAYED THE ROLE OF
TOKEN AMERICAN ON RUSSIAN TALK
SHOWS, ALLOWED TO SAY A FEW
WORLDS BEFORE BEING SHOUTED DOWN
BY OTHER PANELISTS.
HE LEFT RUSSIA WITH HIS RUSSIAN
WIFE JUST BEFORE THE INVASION.
HE SAYS THE PUTIN GOVERNMENT'S
LIE THAT UKRAINE IS CONTROLLED
BY NAZIS STRIKES A DEEP CHORD IN
A RUSSIA THAT LOST MILLIONS OF
ITS CITIZENS WHILE HELPING TO
DEFEAT NAZI GERMANY.
>> MEMORY OF THE SECOND WORLD
WAR IN RUSSIA ESSENTIALLY EXISTS
AS THE JUSTIFICATION FOR THE
CURRENT KREMLIN LEADERSHIP TO
MAINTAIN ITS POSITION.
THE REASON WHY RUSSIA IS GREAT
IS BECAUSE IT WON THE SECOND
WORLD WAR.
THAT GIVES PEOPLE SOME SORT OF
IDENTIFICATION WITH A FIGHT
AGAINST NAZISM.
>> Reporter: NOT EVERY RUSSIAN
BELIEVES THE PROPAGANDA.
THOUSANDS HAVE LEFT THE COUNTRY,
BUT NOSE WHO KNOW THE TRUTH
SOMETIMES HAVE TROUBLE
CONVINCING EVEN THEIR OWN
RELATIVES.
>> WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF THESE
HEARTBREAKING SCENES IN MANY
RUSSIAN FAMILIES WHERE THE
UKRAINIAN RELATIVES ARE CALLING
THEM FROM THE OTHER SIDE AND
TELLING THEM THAT THE RUSSIAN
ARMY IS BOMBING THEIR CITIES AND
KILLING THEM.
AND THE RUSSIAN PART OF THE
FAMILY SIMPLY REFUSING TO
ACKNOWLEDGE THAT, REFUSES TO
BELIEVE THEM, SAYING IT'S ALL
FAKE NEWS.
>> Reporter: AND HE SAYS MANY
RUSSIANS DON'T WANT TO CONFRONT
WHAT IS REALLY HAPPENING.
>> IT'S NOT THAT THIS
DISINFORMATION IS SO
TERRIFYINGLY EFFECTIVE.
IT'S QUITE LAME AND STUPID.
IT'S SELF-CONTRADICTORY.
BUT IT SEEMS TO PROVIDE PEOPLE A
CONVENIENT KIND OF CUSHION TO
KEEP THEMSELVES FROM THE
HORRIFIC REALITY THEY WILL HAVE
TO FACE ONE DAY THAT RUSSIA IS,
INDEED, WAGING A WAR OF
AGGRESSION AGAINST UKRAINE.
>> Reporter: WITH THE INVASION
NOT GOING AS RUSSIA HOPED, ITS
CITIZENS ARE NOT HEARING THAT AS
MANY AS 15,000 OF THEIR SOLDIERS
HAVE DIED.
SOME OF THEIR BODIES LEFT TO ROT
ON THE BATTLEFIELD.
AS FOR SANCTIONS --
>> THEY'RE BEING TOLD THE SAME
THING THEY WERE BEING TOLD
BEFORE THE WAR, WHICH IS THAT
THE WESTERN WORLD WANTS TO
ISOLATE YOU, THEY'RE WORRIED
ABOUT RUSSIA BECOMING TOO
STRONG.
>> Reporter: HE BELIEVES RUSSIA
IS IN THE FWRIP OF A KIND OF
MASS PSYCHOSIS.
>> I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THIS
CAN JUST HEAL ITSELF.
I DON'T KNOW HOW THIS CAN GET
BETTER WITHOUT SOME SORT OF
OUTSIDE INTERACTION.
>> Reporter: A TRIUMPH OF
DISINFORMATION WITH DEADLY
CONSEQUENCES.
AND, YOU KNOW, GUYS, EXPERTS
TELL US THAT RUSSIANS WHO WANT
THE TRUTH CAN FIND IT ON
TELEGRAM OR USING VIRTUAL
PRIVATE NETWORKS, BUT THE
REALITY IS MOST RUSSIANS, LIKE
MANY OF OUR OWN CITIZENS, REALLY