I’m tempted to say something about bears and the woods/popes and Catholicism.

The article over at OpenDemocracy is a reprint of an Expertiza.ru article from about a year ago. But it’s still interesting reading. The editor of Expertiza asserts that the Russian FSB has legions of totalitarian supporters which mob anti-government forums, spewing anti-American, anti-Semitic, anti-democratic bile. In just a few years, opinion on these sites has shifted from majority pro-democracy to overwhelmingly authoritarian.

Could some of this be accounted for by genuine shifts in public opinion? Certainly. But the editor argues strongly that this is a coordinated effort. He calls them the “G Team.”

“The “G team” invariably purveys an eclectic array of views and values which correspond to the latest directions of state PR, the ideology and policies of the Russian leadership. Any change in state thinking leads to a dramatic change in the views of all members of the “G team” …

The “G team” bursting with love and respect for the FSB in all its historical forms, starting with the Cheka. The “G team” calls all the “reincarnations” of the hawks the “neo-nobility”, “law enforcement” and “state-forming patriotic” bodies, whose activities, including the GULAG, should be something to be proud of for Russians!”

Anyone surprised?

HT: Eternal Remont for the cool pic!