PROSECUTOR DEFENDS "PUPPETS" CASE.

Under attackfrom his subordinates for incompetence and even corruption, andmuch criticized for his lack of any sense of humor about the "Puppets"television program, acting prosecutor general Aleksei Ilyushenkodismissed the arguments of his opponents in an interview in theAugust 1 Izvestiya. With regard to the "Puppets"case, Ilyushenko said that norms from other countries did notapply in Russia: "We live in Russia, in a country characterizedby complicated political and economic conditions, which can beeasily aggravated by programs such as ‘Puppet’ because of itsdevastating and not creative effects."

Questionnaires: A New Form of Espionage?