Renowned Russian scientist sentenced to 15 years for alleged treason
In a significant development from Russia, Dr. Alexander Shiplyuk, the Director of the Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics of the Russian Academy of Sciences (SO RAN), has been sentenced to 15 years in prison on charges of state treason. Specializing in hypersonic research, Shiplyuk has maintained his innocence throughout the legal proceedings.
Moscow City Court handed down the 15-year sentence on September 3, according to Russian media and Telegram channels.
The First Department, a human rights advocacy group reporting via Telegram, detailed that Shiplyuk’s research involved experimental aerothermodynamics of hypersonic aerial vehicles equipped with air-breathing jet engines. Shiplyuk had been heading the "Hypersonic Technology" laboratory.
The 57-year-old scientist, a Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences and a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, was arrested on August 5, 2022. His charges stem from allegations that he shared classified information related to hypersonics at a scientific conference in China in 2017, based on the First Department’s account.
Shiplyuk has vehemently denied these accusations, asserting that the information in question was publicly accessible.
Further insights from TASS reveal that along with the 15-year sentence, Shiplyuk was also fined 500,000 rubles and is subjected to an additional penalty of 1.5 years of restricted freedom. "The prosecution had requested a 20-year sentence in a high-security colony, along with the fine and the additional restriction," TASS reported.
Due to the case's classified nature, only the summary of the court’s decision was publicly announced. The judgment has not yet been finalized and remains subject to appeal.
In May 2023, staff members of the Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (ITPM) named after S.A. Khristianovich SO RAN released an open letter in reaction to the arrest of their senior researcher, Valery Zvegintsev. The letter also addressed the case of Alexander Shiplyuk.
"Over the past year, three distinguished aerodynamic scientists from our institute—Anatoly Alexeevich Maslov, Alexander Nikolaevich Shiplyuk, and Valery Ivanovich Zvegintsev—have been detained on suspicions of committing crimes under the most severe article of the Criminal Code—'State Treason' (Art. 275 of the Russian Criminal Code). We know each of these individuals as patriots and honorable men who are unlikely to commit the acts they are accused of," Russian media quoted the letter.
The authors of the letter emphasized that, according to publicly available information, the investigations were prompted by the scientists' participation in international seminars and conferences, publication of articles in high-ranking journals, and involvement in international scientific projects. All materials from the researchers underwent checks for restricted information, and no such information was found, the document states.
In February 2024, the BBC reported that over the past six years, Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) accused more than a dozen physicists of state treason.