The Russian court sentenced physicist Anatoly Maslov, 77, to 14 years in prison on Tuesday (21) on charges of “treason”.
According to information from Reuters, Maslov and two other researchers from a Siberian institute who collaborated on the Russian hypersonic missile program had been arrested in 2022. The other two, Alexander Shiplyuk and Valery Zvegintsev, are awaiting trial.
Lawyer Yevgeny Smirnov, from First Department, an association specialized in defending those accused of treason and espionage in Russia, stated that they were all indicted for allegedly disclosing information considered state secrets while participating in international conferences or research.
“The conviction against Maslov is a serious violation of the law. I am sure that Maslov is not guilty of the acts accused of him and is a victim of the politicking of the Russian authorities,” said Smirnov.
Also on Tuesday, Russian authorities arrested Ivan Popov, former commander of Russia’s 58th Army. State agency Tass reported that he is suspected of “large-scale fraud”.
Last year, Popov had been fired after reporting to Russia’s military leadership about the plight of Russian forces in the war in Ukraine at that time.
#Russian #hypersonic #missile #program #researcher #convicted #treason