Elderly Russian scientist jailed for 14 years for treason

Russian physicist Maslov accused of state treason appears in court in St Petersburg

Russian physicist Anatoly Maslov, who was arrested in 2022 and accused of state treason, attends a court hearing in Saint Petersburg, Russia, May 21, 2024. REUTERS/Anton Vaganov

Source: REUTERS

Russian physicist Anatoly Maslov was convicted of treason on Tuesday and sentenced to 14 years in a penal colony, a Reuters reporter at the court said.

Maslov, 77, is one of a string of eminent Russian scientists who have been charged with treason in recent years.

He and a number of the others had conducted theoretical work in areas relevant to the development of hypersonic missiles - cutting-edge weapons capable of carrying payloads at up to 10 times the speed of sound to punch through air-defence systems.

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Maslov was convicted by a St Petersburg court following a trial that was close to the media. He had protested his innocence.

This article was produced by Reuters news agency. It has not been edited by Global South World.

By Reuters