Those who attack the Russian army, which ecologists claim is one of the country's biggest polluters, could easily find themselves in prison, just like the dissidents during the Soviet era.

Pasko, a 40-year-old former reporter for the newspaper of the Pacific Fleet was sentenced to four years in prison for "high treason", after he told Japanese journalists about illegal dumping of nuclear waste by the Russian navy into the Sea of Japan.

He is not alone. Russian navy Captain Alexandre Nikitine was charged with spying in 1996 for handing over information to a Norwegian environmental organisation.

Nikitine was able to clear his name, but only after spending ten months in prison.

As defense employees, both men were extremely well informed about Russian military activity.

"The ecology movement is different from other NGOs, like the women's movement or the movement for peace, because these were both formed by the state during the Soviet era. The ecologist movement comes from society," explained Lev Fiodorov, co-president of the Socialist and Ecologist Union.

Russian deputy Sergei Mitrokhin, a member of the liberal opposition party Iabloko, said the state is not ready for ecologists.

"The state is used to people defending human rights which has gone on for 30 years, however it is not ready to answer questions posed by ecologists."

"The Pasko affair shows that any information that ecologists wish to make public could be used as an excuse for legal proceedings against them," the deputy added.

"Ecologists have become the dissidents of our time."

The liberal deputy stressed that a conflict of interests existed between government ministers and society.

"There is a conflict of interest between ministers, particularly the defense and atomic energy ministers, who want to keep their activities secret, and society, which wants to know what has happened," said Mitrokhin.

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