Do lies and propaganda really work?

ANSWER: Apparently it does work in places like Russia and North Korea, where dictatorial governments control the news and the way people act and think and where they punish those who do not act and think the way their dictators want them to act and think. How bad is it in Russia?

Even the parents of young Russian soldiers fighting and dying in the war in Ukraine do not believe their sons are fighting and dying in Ukraine. Even when their sons call their parents and tell them that they are now prisoners of war (POW) in Ukraine, their parents do not believe them and say things similar to the following: "What? You can't be a prisoner of war in Ukraine because there is no war in Ukraine. Stop talking nonsense."

In Russia, you can go to jail or prison for calling the Ukraine War a "war." You can read more about the exodus out of Russia HERE.