Russian Physicist Sentenced to 12 Years for Treason - The Moscow Times
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A Moscow court has sentenced a physicist who worked on hypersonic development to 12 years in a penal colony on treason charges, the independent Mediazona news website reported Friday.  Anatoly Gubanov, 66, is the former head of the Aerodynamics of Aircrafts and Rockets Department at the Moscow region’s Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI).  He was detained in December 2020 and accused of passing secret hypersonic development materials to colleagues from the Netherlands with whom he collaborated on the HEXAFLY-INT, the world’s first civil hypersonic airliner.

According to the Perviy Otdel human rights project, project reports passed by Gubanov and Golubkin to their Dutch colleagues had been examined by three specialized commissions prior to submission. None of these commissions found state secrets in the reports, Perviy Otdel said.

Several Russian scientists have been jailed in recent years in what critics say is a reflection of the state’s increasing paranoia toward scientific cooperation with foreign countries.

The scientific community has warned that treason cases against scientists will have a chilling effect on young researchers.

  • S410@kbin.social
    1·
    11 months ago

    What a great set of options!

    Either become a criminal by deflecting and crossing the border illegally, only to face constant fear of being caught, deported and prosecuted for deflection, illegal border crossing, and treason… Which is basically, a life sentence.

    Or become a criminal in the eyes of the civilized world by participating in an attack on a sovereign country. Which, honestly, will most likely result in death.

    So, basically: being a Russian, who can’t afford to leave the country via the convoluted and expensive ways that are still available, is a crime. Got it! Nice!