Interesting and sensible speculation Genghis, but based on my experience of Russian test pilots I would say they had the same independent views as our ETPS graduates.
I spent four days with Valezi Molchanov (Tu’s tp on the Tu144) at Hanover in 1971 (his English was better than mine..) of the MiG guys I flew with their CTP Valery Menitsky in the MiG-29UB in 1990, plus went with him to help with his US lecture to SETP that year, I also spent a fair bit of time over the years with Anatoly Kvotchur both when he was with MiG and later after he became Deputy Chief of the Gromov Flight Research Centre. I also had dinner with Su’s CTP Victor Pugachev.
I do of course realise that having views as a tp is one thing and getting them acted upon quite another – however I never got the feeling that the guys I have mentioned were frustrated in their roles.