In Russian, there are two words - rooski and rossiyanin. Rooski refers to ethnic Russians, while rossiyanin refers to all citizens of Russia regardless of their ethnicity. Unfortunately, English does not distinguish between the two (like it does with Afghan and Afghani), translating both as Russian.
Why does it matter? Because of stuff like this:
But his remark about Jews, which seemed to suggest that a Russian Jew was not really a Russian, prompted particular outrage among those who remember Russias centuries-long history of anti-Semitism and Jewish purges. Some groups compared the statement to anti-Jewish myths that helped inspire the Holocaust.
Putin used rooski not rossiyanin when he responded that some of the people who were indicted were not (ethnic) Russians. A Russian Jew can be a rossiyanin, but not a rooski.
The MSM doesnt seem to care about linguistic nuances, choosing instead to paint Putin as an anti-Semite.
It used the same tactic against Ahmadinejad, translating down with the Zionist regime as death to Israel.
It pays to be aware of these types of language manipulations.
