Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting with China's President Xi Jinping in March. A scientist is accused of leaking information to China (symbolic image). © Vladimir Astapkovich/IMAGO / ITAR-TASS/Symbolic image
The Kremlin accuses three of the leading scientists of Russia's hypersonic missile program of treason. The trial of one of the researchers is already underway.
St. Petersburg – In the Ukraine war, hypersonic missiles of the Kinschal type have also been used again and again. Anatoly Maslov was entrusted with Russia's hypersonic missile program for many years, now the Kremlin accuses him of high treason. The 76-year-old has been on trial in the Russian city of St. Petersburg since Thursday (June 1) in a secret trial. This is according to a report by the Reuters news agency.
Secret trial: Scientists of the hypersonic program charged with high treason
Maslov worked at the Khristianovic Institute in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk, one of Russia's leading scientific centers. The 76-year-old is one of three scientists who researched Russia's hypersonic missile program and are now facing "very serious allegations," according to the Kremlin. The case is classified as top secret, media and the public are excluded from the trial.
The researcher is accused of high treason by the Russian state, the exact background is not known. According to local media, however, Maslow is suspected of passing on secrets to China. The information could not be independently verified. According to Reuters, all three defendants are specialists in hypersonic technology, which is central to Russia, especially in times of war.
Colleagues of the scientist address the Kremlin in an open letter
Anatoly Maslow had already been arrested in June last year, local media reported. Subsequently, he was sent to Moscow, where the central office of the Federal Security Service (FSB), which investigates cases of high treason, is located, it said. Since his arrest, the scientist has suffered two heart attacks, Reuters reported, citing a source close to Maslow. As a result, the researcher in custody should not have all the medication that he would normally have to take. According to the source, Maslow believes "that he has always done everything right." He does not consider himself a traitor.
Colleagues of the scientist wrote an open letter in mid-May to support the three defendants. The three researchers were patriots, they had turned down high-paying jobs abroad to devote themselves to "Russian science," the letter said. The prosecution of the researchers could harm science in Russia. "We just don't understand how to continue doing our job," the signatories of the letter continued, according to the news portal Aljazeera. From the point of view of the scientists, there is a fear of being accused of high treason for the mere performance of their work. "What we are rewarded for today and serve as an example to others will become grounds for prosecution tomorrow."
In April, the Russian parliament raised the maximum sentence for treason from 20 years to life imprisonment. According to the Russian state news agency Tass, a total of four scientists are suspected of high treason.