A Moscow court handed down a 12-year imprisonment sentence to Russian physicist Anatoly Gubanov for treason, as reported by the state news agency TASS on Friday.
Gubanov joins the ranks of several Russian scientists facing similar charges in recent times, accused of allegedly divulging sensitive information to foreign entities. Critics of the Kremlin often argue that such arrests stem from baseless paranoia, a claim refuted by the authorities.
Gubanov, previously employed at a Moscow institute, was apprehended in December 2020, with allegations suggesting he disclosed classified data related to Russia’s aviation sector.
In a separate case, Gubanov’s colleague Valery Golubkin, from the same institution, received a matching 12-year imprisonment sentence for similar treason charges back in June. He was found guilty of sharing state secrets with “representatives of foreign organizations.”
Earlier this year, Russia’s parliament voted to elevate the maximum punishment for treason to life imprisonment from the previous 20 years. Presently, three scientists specializing in hypersonic missile technology, based at a Siberian institute, are also undergoing trial on similar treason allegations.
