For two months: the court arrested the general director of the NIP of hypersonic systems in the case of treason

The Lefortovo Court of Moscow has arrested Alexander Kuranov, General Director, Chief Designer of the Scientific Research Enterprise of Hypersonic Systems (NIPGS) OJSC, for two months as part of an investigation into a criminal case of high treason. 

"By the decision of the Lefortovo court of Moscow in relation to Kuranov, suspected of committing a crime under Article 275 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, a preventive measure was chosen in the form of detention for a period of 1 month 28 days, that is, until October 9, 2021," TASS quotes a representative of the court ... 

The FSB's detention of Kuranov became known on 12 August.

After that, the press service of the Lefortovo court in Moscow reported that Kuranov was being investigated as a suspect in the case.

“Kuranov Aleksandr Leonidovich, whom the investigation asks to choose arrest, has the status of a suspect,” said Anastasia Romanova, press secretary of the court.

She did not elaborate on the details of the case.

At the same time, a TASS source in law enforcement agencies said that before Kuranov's arrest, FSB investigators conducted searches at the scientist's residence and stay in St. Petersburg, and also escorted him to Moscow to choose a preventive measure.

The source also said that Kuranov is suspected of transferring scientific developments to foreign special services.

It is noted that no formal charges have been brought against him so far.

According to some media reports, Alexander Kuranov is a Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor of the Department of Control Systems and Technologies of the St. Petersburg State Polytechnic University, General Director and Chief Designer of JSC Scientific Research Enterprise of Hypersonic Systems. 

A law enforcement source also told TASS that Kuranov is one of the most sought-after Russian specialists in the field of developments related to hydrocarbon fuel in aircraft.

At the same time, the SPbPU press service was informed that Alexander Kuranov was fired from the university in 2016.

“The information that the detained General Director of the Research Enterprise of Hypersonic Systems Alexander Kuranov is an employee of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University is not valid.

Alexander Kuranov previously held the position of professor at SPbPU part-time, was dismissed in 2016, ”the university said. 

They clarified that in 2016 Kuranov's employment contract ended and it was decided not to renew it.

Detention and arrests under the article "Treason"

In November 2019, in the Rostov region, FSB officers detained a serviceman on suspicion of treason.

According to the ministry, a serviceman of the Southern Military District carried out the task of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and purposefully collected secret military information regarding the Russian Armed Forces.

As the FSB emphasized, the leakage of classified data abroad could damage the state's defense capability.

In addition, in the summer of 2019, employees of the Russian Federal Security Service detained Russian citizen Alexander Vorobyov, suspected of committing high treason. 

At the beginning of June 2019, scientist Roman Kovalev was arrested - a defendant in the criminal case of treason of the employee of the Central Scientific Research Institute of Mechanical Engineering (TsNIIMash) Viktor Kudryavtsev.

He was reportedly suspected of transferring information about research on dual-use technologies abroad.

As a source told Interfax, Kovalev, without access to state secrets, could engage in research on gas dynamics and hypersonic technologies, transferring their results to the Brussels Von Karman Institute of Hydrodynamics.

Prior to that, Kudryavtsev was detained on suspicion of treason for transferring secret data to this institution.

In addition, at the beginning of 2019, former FSB Colonel Sergei Mikhailov (22 years in a maximum security colony), Kaspersky Lab employee Ruslan Stoyanov (14 years old), businessman Georgy Fomchenko (7 years old) were sentenced to prison terms in the case of treason in favor of the United States. ) and ex-FSB officer Dmitry Dokuchaev (6 years old).