It's more about corruption than forcing surveillance, IMO. Corruption in Russia works approximately like this: 1. The legal rules for operating any business ar

It's more about corruption than forcing surveillance, IMO. Corruption in Russia works approximately like this: 1. The legal rules for operating any business are intentionally set at a very complex and onerous level. 2. Unofficial license to flout those rules is sold through bribery or otherwise supporting the corrupt actors in Russian government. These bribes are necessary for business to function, because otherwise it's impossible to operate legally. 3. When someone refuses to play bribes or otherwise bow to the will of the corrupt actors, the unofficial license to flout those rules is rescinded and the persecution of that person is entirely within the "rule of law". I don't remember the exact specifics, but this was used pretty much exactly against a Russian oligarch who refused to sell his multi-billion dollar business below market price. He was investigated and prosecuted for some sort of crime, because everyone is always guilty of some sort of crime, because the only way to run a profitable business is to break the law and pay for the privilege of doing so.