A Russian court announced on Monday that scientist Valery Golubkin has been sentenced to 12 years in prison after being found guilty of treason. The court convicted Golubkin of divulging state secrets to “representatives of foreign organizations.” Golubkin had been employed in the Department of Theoretical and Applied Aerohydromechanics at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. However, the court did not provide any additional information regarding the specifics of the case.
Golubkin was arrested in late 2020 on suspicion of sharing classified information with an unnamed NATO country. His lawyer had previously stated that Golubkin denied the charges brought against him.
In recent years, several Russian scientists have faced arrests and treason charges based on allegations of passing sensitive materials to foreigners. Critics of the Kremlin argue that these arrests are sometimes motivated by baseless paranoia, an assertion that authorities vehemently refute.
Earlier this month, a criminal case was initiated against one of three Russian hypersonic missile scientists who were arrested under suspicion of treason.
