Russian court sets closed trial date for scientist who developed hypersonic missile

The criminal trial against 76-year-old Russian scientist Anatoly Maslov is set to begin on June 1. According to TASS, at the time of his arrest on June 27, 2022, Mr. Maslov was the head of research at the Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (ITAM) of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Siberian branch.

Mr Maslov has been taken to the Lefortovo detention centre in Moscow. TASS, citing a source familiar with the matter, said the scientist is suspected of sharing classified information related to hypersonic missile research. The Russian Federal Security Service is in charge of investigating the case before taking it to court.

Mr. Maslov and two other colleagues, Valery Zvegintsev and Alexander Shiplyuk, director of ITAM, were all arrested on charges of high treason.

All three are experts in hypersonic technology, a key area for the development of Russia's next-generation missiles.

According to the St Petersburg court, Mr Maslov's trial is classified as "top secret" and is not available to the media or the public. Mr Maslov's detention term has been extended until November 10.

Regarding speculations that the three scientists were arrested for revealing state secrets to China, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said today, May 24, that Moscow has not discovered evidence that the scientists worked for China.