77‑year-old Russian scientist gets 14‑year sentence for treason

Anatolij Maslov, a 77-year-old scientist, has been sentenced to 14 years in a high-security penal colony. Until now, he was a lecturer at the Russian Academy of Sciences in Novosibirsk. The court in St. Petersburg found him guilty of treason, a fate that has befallen several other scientists from this institution.

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, authorities have been seeking out potential traitors across Russia. This group often includes artists, scientists, and writers. What connects them is their outspoken opposition to current Kremlin policies.

According to the independent Russian portal Mediazona, Anatolij Maslov recently appeared before the court. At 77, he had been an active figure at the Russian Academy of Sciences in Novosibirsk for years. He will exchange lecture halls for 14 years in a high-security penal colony.

The court in St. Petersburg stated that Maslov was convicted of treason in favor of China. He allegedly provided China with classified data related to supersonic speeds. However, he denied all charges against him.

Maslov’s wife reported that his health significantly worsened during the trial, to the point where he suffered a heart attack. Despite this, Russian authorities were not deterred. They recently transferred another scientist from the same university from the hospital to jail, where he died after three days.

The trial of Anatolij Maslov marks the fourth involving a scientist from the Russian Academy of Sciences in Novosibirsk. Like Maslov, the other three also faced charges of treason. Not even an open letter from the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences employees could help them.

The employees of the Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences in their open letter in 2023 emphasized that the materials of all three criminal cases were classified. However, from open sources, they know that the actions for which their colleagues may spend the rest of their lives in prison reflecting what is considered a standard mandatory element of competitive and solid scientific work worldwide, including in Russia – these were lectures at seminars and international conferences, publishing articles in renowned journals, and participating in international scientific projects.