Russian Physicist Sentenced to 15 Years Over Treason Charges

A Russian court sentenced physicist Alexander Shiplyuk to 15 years on treason charges. Shiplyuk, director of a Siberian science institute, was detained in August 2022. Two colleagues, Anatoly Maslov and Valery Zvegintsev, were also arrested. Maslov received a 14-year sentence in May.

Physicist Alexander Shiplyuk was sentenced to 15 years on treason charges by a Russian court, adding to a series of similar cases involving experts in the field of hypersonic missile science, according to Russian news agencies.

Shiplyuk, 57, who heads a leading science institute in Siberia, was arrested in August 2022. His colleagues, Anatoly Maslov, 78, and Valery Zvegintsev, were also detained on suspicion of treason. Maslov received a 14-year sentence in May, but contact with Shiplyuk's lawyer was not immediately available, Reuters reported.

The charges have targeted nearly a dozen scientists from the Novosibirsk university researching hypersonic missile technology, sparking concerns about the prosecution of scientific experts in Russia.

(With inputs from agencies.)