Andrei Soldatov

The new amendments to the Criminal Code, although they concern such crimes against the state as treason, the disclosure of state secrets, and espionage, are more aimed at protecting the interests of state corporations than the state. And even the most ardent supporters of Russian state capitalism can hardly claim that they are one and the same thing.

In any long-running process (and secure classification began in our country long before Putin) it is desirable to understand what grouping benefits from each of its specific phases. During Mr Primakov's premiership, for example, it benefited the lobbyists committed to ensuring that the decision-making process in the Cabinet of Ministers should be as closed as possible -- it was then that there was first talk about penalties for "leaks." Then came the time of beneficiaries from the counterintelligence services, and, thanks to ...

It comes as no surprise that political and civic activists in Russia experience harassment from police. Members of the opposition have long complained that they have been followed, detained as they travel by train, or even threatened by the militsiya. Yet the scope and systematic nature of such activities is just beginning to come to light.