They said Russian society is still militarized, and law enforcement agencies have not abandoned prosecution for free speech, but do it under different pretexts. Pasko, for example, was charged with spying for Japan, although he in fact exposed the alleged environmental abuse by the Pacific Fleet that dumped its nuclear waste in the sea, PEN leaders said at the press-conference. Although Pasko was freed, a Pacific Fleet prosecutor appealed the decision July 27, insisting that Pasko was a traitor. Pasko also appealed the verdict the same day, seeking a complete acquittal. It is considered in Russia that there's no prosecution for free speech.
Civilian society has no control over the military.
On the contrary, the FSB has a large arsenal of means to influence the society, sometimes with the help of civilian agencies. Pyshkin said officials have applied scare tactics over the past two months to pressure the Pasko court and give people the impression they are surrounded by spies. FSB agents raided the lab and apartment of Professor Vladimir Soifer who studied radioactivity in sea. U.S. diplomats were expelled from Kamchatka for alleged intrusion of a security zone. Primorye Governor Yevgeny Nazdratenko claims that foreign spies are ruining the Russian fleet and has used the FSB to investigate foreign investors.