Testimony on Mr. Edmond Pope's Case

The arrest of American businessman Edmond Pope on charges of espionage exemplifies the current trends in Russian domestic and foreign policies: reanimation of the old Soviet traits and growing anti-Americanism.

Ever since Vladimir Putin's appointment as Director of the Russian Security Service (FSB) in July of 1998 and the advent of power of a succession of former intelligence and security officials (e.g. prime ministers Yevgeny Primakov and Sergei Stepashin) Russia's nascent freedoms have come under increasing attack. The most notable cases of that time include the arrests of several environmental activists (e.g. Alexander Nikitin and Grigory Pasko branded as “tools of foreign intelligence services;” an open assault on Internet providers; and an attempt to put them under full FSB control.

After Mr. Putin's election as president, the situation in Russia has deteriorated. The media has become one of the first casualties of Mr. Putin's proclaimed desire to strengthen the Russian state. The harassment of Radio Liberty correspondent Andrei Babitsky called “traitor” by Mr. Putin because his reports from Chechnya were, “more dangerous than firing a machine gun,” is just one illustration. Police raids on islands of independent media owned by “Media Most” is another.

Contrary to Mr. Putin's public pledges to facilitate private enterprise in Russia, the FSB and other law enforcement agencies have intensified their efforts to intimidate and prosecute a number of businessmen who did not express sufficient support for Mr. Putin's domestic policies. Some liberal politicians in Russia were subjected to unabashed pressure and public smear.  One of them, Girgory Yavlinsky, was accused of taking $10 million from the US financier George Soros. Yavlinsky was portrayed as a friend of Zionists manipulated by Jewish capital in harms way for Russia's national interests.

In light of these developments, Mr. Pope's plight may serve as another reminder to Russians and Western business people as well as public at large that their earlier enthusiasm for Russia's integration with the West is unfounded. Nationalism under the disguise of national interests, xenophobia and the old Soviet style obsession with secrecy have for the time being prevailed.

Mr. Pope's case also reflects a rather poor state of professionalism in the offices of Russian prosecutor general and particularly in the FSB.

It's a known fact that over the past decade, after 9 reorganizations and 8 changes of top personnel, more than half of the most skilled and experienced operatives of the security service bolted from the agency. The FSB assets dwindled dozens of times, field reports became shallow and sporadic. Many elements of the FSB were compromised by their involvement with the underworld. No wonder the new FSB leadership is anxious to demonstrate to their previous boss and now-president of the country that they are up to the new directions and the spirit promulgated by the Kremlin.

And finally, by all accepted definitions, espionage is the acquisition of information through clandestine means, or if worded differently, the attempts to obtain clandestinely or under false pretense information, etc. From the available public reports, no spycraft was practiced by the defendant.

Mr. Pope acted as a businessman, not as a spy. He met his counterparts openly, negotiated with them and made a deal. He may have been indiscreet or too eager to get results and was eventually trapped by the FSB, which, in my judgment based on my experience, passed through the unaware or most likely coerced and intimidated middle man, Professor Babkin, classified information prepared by the FSB.