’The Star’

Here is the story:

MOSCOW - Russia's military has unveiled its newest weapon — and it's aimed squarely at the nation's television viewers.

"The ideology of the channel is simple," station chief Sergei Savushkin told a press conference at the Defense Ministry last week. "In order to defend, one has to love.”

He added, “We are not seeking a monopoly on patriotic programming. But we think there should be more."

Pitched battle against moronization
There is already no lack of patriotism on Russia's airwaves, as the state already owns or controls the country's three national television networks.

Smaller independent stations have also been replaced in the past few years with state-owned sports and cultural channels. Political talk shows, political satire and independent news programs have all but disappeared.

The few talk shows that remain choose their topics and guests carefully. Russians who used to turn on their TV for independent news or commentary now must depend on the Internet.

Russian TV relies heavily on Latin soap operas and Hollywood B-movies, leading many to complain about the amount of imported sex and violence on their screens.

Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov publicly criticized Russian TV’s general fare, telling the cabinet late last year that "the moronization of the people must be stopped."

Ivanov personally requested that the government rush to approve a broadcasting license for his ministry, according to a Russian newspaper that published a copy of Ivanov's letter last week.

The station will feature documentary programs about the army, rousing old Soviet films, and children's shows, according to Savushkin.

“I want to create a warm, positive station that the Russian people will see as their own,” said Savushkin. He added that all programs and commercials on Zvezda must be made in Russia.

Movement for independent channel
But creating a channel run by a government ministry is not the answer to Russian TV’s woes, according to Boris Reznik, the deputy chairman of parliament's committee on information policy. Reznik has introduced a bill to the parliament, or Duma, creating a public television network that would offer educational programs without commercial advertising, much like PBS or the BBC.

"I'm in favor of having patriotic programs, and having programs about the army. But not programs that the army creates about itself, in which they brag about themselves, but programs created by a normal, independent television channel that would objectively evaluate what is happening in the army. And what is going on now is not good news,” Reznik said.

Improving the army's image among young Russians was one of the reasons Ivanov pushed so hard to establish Zvezda.

Draft-age males, who fear cruel hazing rituals, poor living conditions and the likelihood of being sent to fight in Chechnya, go to incredible lengths to avoid the two years of obligatory military service in Russia.

"I think it's a senseless waste of money, of the state budget,” Reznik complained.

“We should encourage patriotism, not like that, but by improving the conditions in the army. So that young men want to serve in the army. So that we could have well-fed, well-clothed soldiers. And well-paid officers. And modern equipment. Now that would encourage respect for the army. But to create some shows to do this, about the military, that is a fruitless task," he said.

Worrisome precedent
For the many who already compare current Russian television to Soviet-like propaganda, Zvezda is a worrisome precedent.

"In the so-called democratic states, we are the only one where the Minister of Defense is opening his own ideological channel,"  said Aleksei Simonov, president of the Defense of Glasnost Foundation.

"It is the most vivid confirmation of the militaristic ideology which is growing in Russia, and which has the government's protection and the government's initiative."

Russia is going down the drain, or at least the male population is. The government is doing its best to accelerate that decline, through:

1. Doing nothing to discourage these people from drinking themselves to death;

2. Doing nothing to stop the HIV epidemic (watch out, people, we've got a new Sub-Saharan Africa in the East, this is NO exaggeration, just look up www.unaids.org)

3. Sending those who aren't half-dead already to Chechnya.

If things continue this way, what willbe left of Russia after twenty years or so will be run and inhabited almost exclusively by women...

Hopefully those in power in Europe will remember the past. Russia still relies heavily on support from Europe and the USA for food and daily products. I hopefully we can swing a deal.

What about Lebanon? Pretty scary, too, eh?

-To encourage Idiotism!  I really cannot stand with the last years' "nationalistic-oriented" policy here in Russia... Anyway, politicians make their business only...

"The ideology of the channel is simple," station chief Sergei Savushkin told a press conference at the Defense Ministry last week. "In order to defend, one has to love.”

-I even don't know who is Savushkin - you know our political situation better than me

There is already no lack of patriotism on Russia's airwaves, as the state already owns or controls the country's three national television networks.

-Almost all the TV channels here owns their own owners

Smaller independent stations have also been replaced in the past few years with state-owned sports and cultural channels.

-Those are just the only two channels I watch!  Plus "M1" channel where very good movies are translated sometimes...

Russian TV relies heavily on Latin soap operas and Hollywood B-movies, leading many to complain about the amount of imported sex and violence on their screens.

-It's true. The most of channels translate this rubbish, that's why personally I haven't any interest in them...

"It is the most vivid confirmation of the militaristic ideology which is growing in Russia, and which has the government's protection and the government's initiative."

-I need to admit that there's no causes to worry about militaristic ideology in Russia at all - nowadays almost nobody trusts in politics, their public relative actions and the similar stuff here. The army is quite demoralized, drowned in corruption and mess. Chechnya is the only business once again - this war would finish totally after it'd be unprofitable to "Someone"...

Personally, I'm the Cosmopolite. Russia isn't even my motherland as it is, because I was born and lived for 22 years in Tashkent (Uzbekistan), natively I'm the Russian for 12,5 percents only. So I exactly will do anything to not to be a soldier and to fight for some politician's interest. As John Lennon sang: I DON'T WANT TO BE A SOLDIER...

Does it not say something for the progress Russia has made that Emperor not only can voice his opinions, but is comfortable voicing his opinions here.

In a democracy, all sides should be able to voice their opinions freely, and let the people decide.

Sweetnighter wrote: This culturally rich country has been raped over and over again by oppressive governments. Honestly, when is somebody going to gain substantial power in Russia who can lead the country in a positive direction? From Ivan the Terrible to Stalin, this country hasn't had a government that hasn't at one point or another sent its citizens to the siberian tundra. What would we all think if we were told this is where Russia would be fifteen years after the fall of the USSR?

I think the cause in not governments only... At least the people lets some governments to rule

Yes, there were really cruel and untolerate rulers in Russia (that mentioned Ivan the Terrible, for example), but before the Communist  Revolution of 1917 strong Tsars and Emperors also were here - I mean Peter I, Katherine II, Alexander II... So the weakest one, in my opinion, was just the last Emperor - Nicholas II, who was a weak and not so clever person and has lost his power (and than his life too).

And the real monsters were among the Communist-rulers: Lenin, Stalin (maybe the most Terrible person in the World History, who has annihilated 40 (!) millions of people), etc...

But also how do you think, what the most cathastrophic thing has happened in Russia after 1917? I'll reply: all the (real) aristocratic, intelligent and workable people were killed or (in the better case) removed out of Russia - but this is the genetic kind problem! There's a big lack of such "positive genes" in Russia nowadays (only the genes of alcoholic or lumpenian kinds) - this is the real national degradation, as it seems to me...