Russia arrests scientist suspected of revealing hypersonic weapons secrets to the West
Expert Viktor Kurdryavtsev was arrested on suspicion of leaking military secrets to Western spies.
A scientist at Russia's Central Research Institute of Machine Building (TSNIIMASH) has been arrested on suspicion of passing secret information about hypersonic missiles to Western spies.
“TSNIIMASH expert Viktor Kurdryavtsev has been detained,” said Vladimir Ustimenko, spokesman for the Russian Space Agency (Roscosmos), on July 22. TSNIIMASH representatives have not yet commented on the incident.
According to TASS, Viktor Kurdryavtsev was arrested on charges of treason. The Lefortovo District Court in Moscow, which usually hears cases involving treason, has not yet confirmed or denied information about the incident. At the same time, the agency said that this is a secret case.
Information about the arrests was released after the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said it had searched the offices of TSNIIMASH experts and the office of Dmitry Paison, director of the Roscosmos research and analysis center. The agency determined that these were the places where many secrets about the Avangard hypersonic weapon being developed by Russia were revealed.
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| Simulated image of the Avangard missile. Photo: ITN |
About 10 Russian space scientists are suspected of working for Western spies. The FSB also revealed that some classified information had fallen into the hands of Western spies.
Roscosmos' press office said that Roscosmos CEO Dmitry Rogozin had been informed about the incident and instructed to assist in the investigation. Meanwhile, Roscosmos spokesman Vladimir Ustimenko said that Mr. Paison had submitted his resignation.
The investigation took place shortly after the Russian Ministry of Defense unexpectedly released real-life videos of four types of super weapons introduced by Russian President Vladimir Putin in his federal message in March. These include the Avangard hypersonic device dubbed "invincible" and the Kinzhal missile capable of destroying aircraft carriers.
Avangard can accurately attack targets at a distance of over 10,000 km. The outstanding features of this weapon are its speed of up to 25,000 km/h and low cruising altitude, helping it avoid ground and space surveillance systems.
In addition, Avangard also has the ability to maneuver while in flight, making it impossible for defense systems to accurately determine the trajectory to intercept.
