Prosecutors have sentenced Ivan Safronov, a Russian journalist and adviser to Roscosmos chief, to 24 years in prison, charged with treason for alleged cooperation with Czech intelligence services. This was reported by the TASS agency with reference to a statement from the Moscow City Court where Safronov’s trial is taking place.
The newspaper Kommersant, where Safronov previously worked, noted that “the maximum sentence under the law is 20 years.” The trial will be held in secret, excluding the media and the general public.
Safronov denies guilt from the beginning. He emphasized that he was only engaged in journalism and had no access to state secrets. The accusations accuse the Secret Service of trying to create spies when real spies are hard to catch.
“The prosecutor asked the court to convict Safronov of treason and sentence him to 24 years’ imprisonment in a strict regime correctional facility,” the court said.
Safronova was arrested in July 2020 Russia FSB and accused him of treason. The Secret Service claims the journalist was recruited by Czech intelligence in 2012. According to the FSB, Safronov passed on secret information about Russia’s arms supply to post-Soviet countries, the Middle East, Africa and the Balkans, which he said was used by NATO countries against Russia’s security. may be
According to investigators, journalists were to pass information about the activities of Russian soldiers in Syria to political scientist Demri Voronin. According to investigative files, Voronin allegedly paid Safronov $248 (approximately 6,000 crowns) for the data provided. According to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the journalist committed the crime in order to get paid.
Meduza Server noted that all the information that the indictment accuses Safronov of being handed over to Czech and German intelligence services, according to investigative journalists, can be found in open sources.
Political scientist Demri Voronin, who previously agreed to a deal with investigators in exchange for testifying against Safronov, issued a statement in court acquitting Ivan Safronov, journalist defense attorney Ivan Pavlov said on Monday. but did not provide details about the prosecution’s testimony. witness.
