According to a statement of the court in St. Petersburg, Russia, those engaged in the development of hypersonic missiles 77 Physicist Anatoly Maslov was convicted of "treason" on the 21st local time and sentenced to 14 years in exile.
▲ Maslov It was reported that Maslov had been arrested in 2022 on suspicion of treason, and two other Russian scientists Alexander Shipyuk and Valery Zweijin who were also engaged in hypersonic missile development were also arrested on the same charges. At present, Hippuk and Zweijin are still waiting for trial.
It is reported that Maslov was accused of sharing top secret information about Russia's hypersonic missile project with Germany, but he has always insisted that he is innocent. Olga Dingze, Maslov's lawyer, said that his client had heart problems and being kept in prison for a long time was tantamount to being sentenced to death. "We are determined and will appeal." It is reported that Maslov had a heart attack in February. Ding Ze said that Maslov was a scientist who only focused on science. "He refused numerous invitations from western universities."
Ding Ze said that Maslov was investigated only after he was accused by the defendant of another case, and this defendant exchanged a shorter sentence for accusing Maslov. It was reported that the "defendant" in Ding Ze's mouth was apparently Alexander Kuranov, the general manager of the Russian "hypersonic system research enterprise", who was also arrested in 2021 for treason and sentenced to seven years' imprisonment in April this year. According to Russian law, treason can be sentenced to a minimum of 12 years' imprisonment and a maximum of life imprisonment. Daria Lebedeva, a spokesman of the St. Petersburg Court, confirmed that Kuranov had mitigated the punishment.
According to reports, Maslov, Shipyuk and Zvikin are all top researchers in the Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (ITAM) of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. In a rare joint letter published in 2023, ITAM researchers said that this series of cases had produced a "cicada effect" in Russian academic circles, and these external factors made it difficult for scientists to complete their work. Kegong responded that these people were facing "very serious charges" and the case had been handed over to the security department.
Red Star Journalist Li Jingrui Comprehensive Global Network (reporter Xu Luming)
Edited by Zhang Li and Edited by Feng Lingling
