Russian physicist Anatoly Maslov was found guilty of treason, as stated by the court's press service in Saint Petersburg.

Maslov, 77, received a 14-year sentence in a penal colony on Tuesday and maintains his innocence. He is among several distinguished Russian scientists accused of treason in recent years.

The scientists, including Maslov, were involved in theoretical research related to hypersonic missiles—advanced weapons capable of carrying payloads at speeds up to ten times the speed of sound to bypass air-defense systems.

Maslov was charged with disclosing top-secret information about Russia's hypersonic missile program to Germany.

Colleagues Alexander Shiplyuk and Valery Zvegintsev, who are also hypersonics specialists from the same Siberian institute, have been arrested since 2022 on similar treason charges and are awaiting trial.

President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly emphasized Russia's leadership in hypersonic weapon technology.

Attorney Yevgeny Smirnov from Pervy Otdel (First Department), an organization defending those accused of treason and espionage, mentioned that the charges against Maslov and his colleagues are similar—sharing classified information during international conferences or research.

“Convicting Maslov violates the law egregiously,” Smirnov told Reuters.

“I firmly believe Maslov is innocent and a victim of Russian governmental policies.”

Chilling Effect

In a rare letter published last year, colleagues of Maslov, Shiplyuk, and Zvegintsev insisted on their innocence, stating that their scientific articles and conference presentations were vetted to prevent the inclusion of sensitive information.

They mentioned that these cases are negatively impacting Russian academia, hindering scientific work.

The Kremlin addressed the situation by stating that the accused faced "very serious charges" and that these cases were under the domain of security services.

Maslov’s lawyer was reported by Russian media as saying that Maslov, in his final court address, emphasized his lifelong dedication to science and his loyalty to Russia.

The defense highlighted that Maslov had suffered a heart attack earlier this year and that a long prison sentence would equate to a death penalty.

‘Exclusively Political Step’

Last month, another scientist, Alexander Kuranov, was sentenced to seven years in prison. According to Russian newspaper Kommersant, Kuranov received a reduced sentence in exchange for testifying against Maslov.

“The persecution of scientists is clearly a political move by the Russian government, aiming to showcase that global intelligence agencies are eager to steal Russian weapon secrets,” stated Smirnov from Pervy Otdel.

He noted that the accused scientists weren't directly working on weapons but were researching physical phenomena at high speeds.

“The nature of the charges is similar for all the accused,” Smirnov said, pointing out that the so-called secrets were essentially “publicly available and accessible to anyone.”