Zoom Image
President Putin: Protests remain unsuccessful
Photo: ILYA PITALEV / AFP
The Russian leadership has rejected protests against the detention of three Siberian rocket scientists. They are accused of high treason, they have been in prison since last year. They are Anatoly Maslov, Alexander Shiplyuk and Valery Zweginchev. They are said to have betrayed state secrets. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov spoke of "very serious allegations" against the researchers.
In an open letter at the beginning of the week, colleagues had stood up for the three and asserted their innocence. According to him, law enforcement threatens to cause serious damage to Russian science. All three are "upright patriots" and incapable of the alleged crimes. Kremlin spokesman Peskov said he was aware of the open letter. However, the case is a matter for the security services.
Doubts about Putin's miracle weapon
The three scientists are specialists in hypersonic technology. President Vladimir Putin brags that Russia is a world leader in the field. On Tuesday, however, Ukraine reported the launch of six allegedly unstoppable Kinschal hypersonic missiles, which was interpreted as a loss of prestige for Putin.
In 2012, Maslow and Shiplyuk presented the results of an experiment on the design of hypersonic missiles at a seminar in Tours, France. In 2016, all three were among the authors of a book chapter entitled "Hypersonic Short-Duration Facilities for Aerodynamic Research at ITAM, Russia".
The open letter from her colleagues from Novosibirsk, Siberia, says that the materials presented by the three detainees in international forums have been repeatedly reviewed. This was to ensure that they did not contain any confidential information.
Fear among researchers
The cases showed that "any article or report can lead to allegations of treason," the letter said. In this situation, we are not only afraid for the fate of our colleagues. We just don't understand how we're going to continue doing our job."
The case of Dmitry Kolker, another Siberian scientist, was also mentioned. He was arrested last year on suspicion of high treason and flown to Moscow seriously ill. Two days later he died. The cases, the letter says, have a deterrent effect on young Russian scientists.
sms/Reuters