[SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE].
>>> SOMETIMES NOTHING BRINGS
PEOPLE TOGETHER LIKE A NICE HOT
PIZZA FROM PIZZA HUT.
>> THAT WAS FORMER SOVIET LEADER
STARRING IN AN INTERNATIONAL TV
COMMERCIAL FOR PIZZA HUT IN
1998, SEVEN YEARS AFTER THE FALL
OF THE USSR.
AT THE TIME, THE AD SYMBOLIZED
RUSSIA'S EMBRACE OF CAPITALISM
AND HAD FINALLY JOINED THE
GLOBAL ECONOMY.
FAST FORWARD TO TODAY AND RUSSIA
IS QUICKLY BACKSLIDING THANKS TO
VLADIMIR PUTIN.
HIS INVASION OF UKRAINE PROMPTED
A MASS EXIT OF BUSINESSES FROM
RUSSIA INCLUDEING VISA, MASTER
CARD AND AMERICAN EXPRESS
SEIZING CARD HOLDER TRANSACTIONS
IN THAT COUNTRY AS WELL AS
NETFLIX, WHICH SUSPENDED
SERVICES.
THEY'VE JOINED A GROWING LIST OF
COMPANIES THAT HAVE EFFECTIVELY
PULLED OUT ISOLATING RUSSIA FROM
THE WORLD ECONOMY AND PUTIN IS
TURNING BACK THE CLOCK ON THE
INFORMATION AGE WITH CRACKDOWNS
ON JOURNALISM AND SOCIAL MEDIA
AND BLACKED ACCESS TO FACEBOOK
AND THE BBC AMONG OTHERS AND
SIGNED A LAW BANNING SO-CALLED
FAKE NEWS INCLUDING A BAN ON
CALLING THE INVASION OF UKRAINE
WHAT IT IS AN INVASION OR WAR
WHICH IS PUNISHABLE BY 15 YEARS
IN PRISON AND ARRESTING MORE
THAN 4500 PROTESTERS IN A SINGLE
DAY YESTERDAY ACCORDING TO A
HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP.
JOINING ME IS MICHAEL McFAUL AND
PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL
APPEARS AT THE NEW SCHOOL.
THIS IS SORT OF FASCINATING IN
THAT YOU ARE NOW SEEING RUSSIA
SORT OF GO BACK, I MEAN, IF
PUTIN REALLY HAD IN HIS MIND TO
BRING BACK THE OLD USSR, HE'S
DOING IT IN TERMS OF THE
ECONOMY.
IT BECOMING A CLOSED ECONOMY.
HE'S EVEN LAUNCHING HIS OWN
VERSION OF THE INTERNET TRYING
TO MAKE BASICALLY LIKE AN INTRA
NET BUT JUST INSIDE RUBSSIA TO
CONTROL PEOPLE'S ACCESS TO
INFORMATION.
AT SOME POINT, LOGIC SAYS THIS
WILL START TO AFFECT THE RUSSIAN
PEOPLE THAT CANNOT POSSIBLY
BLAME THE WEST FOREVER FOR THAT
KIND OF ISOLATION OR CAN THEY?
>> WELL, IT IS ALREADY AFFECTING
THE RUSSIAN PEOPLE BECAUSE IT'S
NOT EVEN ECONOMY YET THAT HAS
BEEN HITTING THEM, IT'S MORE
SOCIAL AND CULTURAL TIES,
RELATIONS WITH THEIR PARTNERS,
RESEARCH PARTNERS IN THE WEST OR
EVERYWHERE FOR THAT MATTER.
IT'S THEIR ABILITY, POSSIBILITY
TO FLY TO MANY COUNTRIES AND NOW
THEY JUST HAVE FEW OPTIONS OPEN
SO IT IS ALREADY AFFECTING THEM
AND HE'S NOT -- I MEAN, IT'S NOT
EVEN BRINGING BACK THE SOVIET
UNION BECAUSE EVEN IN THE SOVIET
UNION
UNION, CERTAINLY THE SECOND HALF
OF IT THEY REMAIN MORE
CONNECTIONS AVAILABLE THAT THEY
ARE AVAILABLE NOW SO IT'S ALMOST
WHERE THERE IS ALL THIS IRON
CURTAIN FALLING DOWN, IT'S
ALMOST BRINGING RUSSIA TO THE
STONE AGE AND BLACK HOLE OF
NON-EXISTENT GLOBAL PARIAH.
IT POSSIBLE WHEN THE WHOLE WORLD
IS AGAINST YOU AND BASICALLY
AGAINST EVERYBODY ELSE AND
EVERYBODY SHUTTING THEIR DOOR OR
THEIR TWEET OR THEIR EVERYTHING,
AT LEAST INITIALLY PROBABLY IT
MAY RESULT IN RALLYING AROUND
THE FLAG AND PEOPLE FEELING THAT
THEY HAVE NO OTHER PLACE TO TURN
TO THAN TO STAND UP FOR RUSSIA
BECAUSE EVERYBODY IS AGAINST US.
>> IT IS POSSIBLE BUT THERE IS
ALSO AM BASKETBALLBASSADOR McFAU
ARE BREAKING THROUGH.
I HEARD ABOUT THIS MEME GIVEN
THE LAW YOU CAN'T DO QUOTE
UNQUOTE FAKE NEWS INCLUDING
CALLING THE WAR IN UKRAINE A
WAR.
THE JOKE HAS COME UP AMONG YOUNG
MOSCOW RESIDENTS THAT IT'S
SECURITY OPERATION IN PEACE
INSTEAD OF WAR IN PEACE.
THEY'RE MAKING FUN OF IT.
THERE SEEMS TO BE SOME OF IT
SEEPING THROUGH.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THIS SORT OF
TURNING OF SORT OF RUSSIA INTO
CUBA OR INTO NORTH KOREA AT THIS
POINT?
THAT IS WHAT VLADIMIR PUTIN
ACCOMPLISHED SO FAR.
>> WELL, HE'S TRYING TO.
LIKE NINA SAID, HE'S TRYING TO
AND HE'S GOING FARTHER THAN EVEN
DURING COLD WAR DAYS.
I MEAN, IF WESTERN MEDIA OUTLETS
ARE FORCED TO LEAVE BECAUSE OF
THIS NEW LAW ABOUT USING THE
WORD WAR, YOU GET 15 YEARS IN
JAIL AND THEY HAVE TO LEAVE,
THEY WERE ALL THERE DURING THE
COLD WAR.
THAT'S SOMETHING RADICALLY NEW
AND THERE IS FEAR IN RUSSIA
TODAY THAT HE'LL TRY TO CUT OFF
THE INTERNET LIKE YOU SAID.
AT THE SAME TIME, YOU KNOW,
YOU'RE SHOWING THESE PHOTOS.
THERE ARE LOTS OF PEOPLE
PROTESTING AND IF TAIRHEY'RE
PROTESTING, THEY'RE BRAVE ENOUGH
TO DEAL WITH THOSE CHARACTERS.
LOOK AT THOSE CHARACTERS YOU'RE
SHOWING NOW.
IF THEY'RE BRAVE ENOUGH TO DO
THAT, TENS OF THOUSANDS AND
MAYBE MORE SHARE THEIR VIEWS.
THEY JUST DON'T WANT TO BE
ARRESTED.
AND THE SECOND THING TO REMEMBER
IS THAT ALL RUSSIANS DON'T THINK
ALIKE.
ALL RUSSIANS DON'T RECEIVE THEIR
INFORMATION ALIKE AND OVER
SIMPLY IN THE INTEREST OF MEDIA
THAT MORE EDUCATED YOU ARE, THE
MORE URBAN YOU ARE, THE RICHER
YOU ARE, THELESS LIKE LESS LIKEL
TO READ PUTIN'S PROPERTYAGANDA A
THE MORE RURAL PLACE YOU LIVE,
THELESS EDUCATED YOU ARE, THE
LESS WEALTHY YOU ARE AND THE
OLDER YOU ARE, THE MORE LIKELY
YOU ARE TO READ PUTIN'S
PROPAGANDA.
IT A MUCH MORE DIVIDED SOCIETY
THAN A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK THAT
DOESN'T MEAN THERE IS GOING TO
BE MASSIVE PROTESTS.
IT'S SCARY TO THINK ABOUT 15
YEARS IN JAIL.
BUT IT DOESN'T ALSO MEAN JUST
BECAUSE YOU DON'T SEE HUNDREDS
OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE, IT
DOESN'T MEAN THAT THOSE PASSIVE
PEOPLE SUPPORT PUTIN.
THEY DON'T.
WE'RE REALLY BAD AT MEASURING
PREFERENCES INTO SOCIETIES.
WE'VE BEEN BAD FOR DECADES.
WE'LL BE BAD HERE.
I THINK WE SHOULD BE VERY
CAUTIOUS IN LOOKING AT THE
NUMBERS OF PROTESTERS AND SAY
THAT MUST MEAN THE REST OF
RUSSIA SUPPORTS, PUT PUTIN, THEY
DON'T.
>> WE DON'T HAVE A WINDOW INTO
IT.
THERE IS AN EXTRAORDINARY PIECE
OF VIDEO.
WE GOT A CLIP.
THIS SHOWS MEN, APPEARED TO BE
CAPTURED RUSSIAN SOLDIERS MAKING
A PLEA SAYING THEY DID NOT
UNDERSTAND WHY THEY WERE THERE
AND THEY WANT THE PEOPLE BACK
HOME TO KNOW.
LET ME PLAY A LITTLE LOF THAT. >> [SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
>> [SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE] [