Russian physicist Oleksandr Shiplyuk Photo: WillWest News
Prominent Russian physicist Alexander Shiplyuk, involved in the country’s hypersonic missile program, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison on charges of state treason. This is the latest in a series of verdicts against Russian scientists amid growing paranoia and accusations of espionage within Russia’s elite, reports The Guardian.
A Moscow court delivered its verdict on Tuesday in a closed session, finding 57-year-old Shiplyuk guilty of leaking classified information, allegedly at a scientific conference in China in 2017. Shiplyuk denies the charges, stating that all presented materials were already publicly available.
This sentencing is part of a broader crackdown on Russian scientists. In recent years, at least 12 top Russian researchers have been arrested, including three from the prestigious Khristianovich Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics in Novosibirsk, where Shiplyuk worked. Experts point to these trials as evidence of an increasing “spy mania” within Russia’s political elite.
Earlier this year, in May, another scientist from the same institute, 78-year-old Anatoly Maslov, was sentenced to 14 years in prison on similar charges.
Russia, which has declared itself a world leader in hypersonic missile development, continues to target scientists involved in this field. These cases underscore the growing influence of Russia’s security services, which have been emboldened to initiate more criminal prosecutions against researchers. The lengthy prison terms threaten the lives and careers of these specialists.
The trials are conducted in strict secrecy, with the details of the charges remaining undisclosed. This situation adds pressure on the scientific community and heightens the atmosphere of fear within the country.
