Russian scientist sentenced to 14 years in prison for treason

A court in St Petersburg has pronounced 14 years in prison for Russian physicist Anatoly Maslov after he was found guilty of treason.

Similarly, prosecutors had demanded that Russian science be sentenced to 17 years in prison.

Maslov, 77, is an expert on liquid gases and professor at the Aerohirodinamica Department at Novosibirsk Technical University. He was arrested in 2022 under suspicion of having passed classified information on a foreign state.

Maslov has denied the charges. He's among three scientists from the same institute, all three hypersonic specialists, who were arrested in 2022 on charges of treason. The other two scientists, Alexander Shiplyuk and Valerry Zvegintsev, are still awaiting trial.

These three scientists have done theoretical work on developing hypersonic missiles, which are advanced weapons, capable of flying 10 times the speed of sound and avoiding air protection systems.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said Russia is the world's leader in terms of these weapons, which he has acknowledged used in the fight against Ukraine.

At least 12 scientists have been arrested in Russia on charges of treason since 2018. Most of them have been arrested for activities considered a normal part of scientific work, such as publishing in international magazines, working with colleagues from other countries, and participating in international conferences. / REL