A Soviet Russia joke: A Russian man was accosted by KGB goons and had his expensive watch stolen by them. After the KGB had left, the unfortunate man then cried out loudly, “The Swiss stole my Russian watch!”. A bystander heard this and retorted, “You meant the Russians stole your Swiss watch”. The man then replied, “Yes, but you said it!”
The Muscovites are not stupid. They are merely beaten down so hard and so long that they know to feign ignorance.