Russia jails hypersonic scientist, 71, for ‘leaking secrets to the Netherlands’

Russia today jailed one of its top hypersonic scientists for allegedly leaking secrets to a NATO country, while a Western diplomat warned that Putin and his spies “see treachery lurking around every corner.”

Professor Valery Golubkin, 71, has been sent to a strict penal colony for 12 years after being convicted of high treason by the Moscow court.

Golubkin, a professor at a Moscow institute who studies aerodynamics and is regarded as a world expert in hypersonic technology, was detained in 2020 on suspicion of handing over secrets to an unnamed NATO country.

According to reports, he was accused of handing over the information about aerodynamics to scientists from the Netherlands.

Golubkin worked for the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and at the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI).

Golubkin, a professor at a Moscow institute who studies aerodynamics and is regarded as a world expert in hypersonic technology, was detained in 2020 on suspicion of handing over secrets to an unnamed NATO country

He was the author of more than 120 scientific papers in the field and engaged in theoretical developments while having only the third form of access to state secrets – suggesting that he never worked on “top secret” projects.

Several top scientists have been detained over the past two years on national security charges by Vladimir Putin’s regime, with the FSB’s security service accused of purging some of Russia’s top academics.

Kremlin critics say the arrests often stem from unfounded paranoia, something the authorities deny.

Golubkin insisted there were no secrets involved and he only shared information released by Russian authorities.

“Putin and his spies now see treachery lurking around every corner,” said a Western diplomat in Moscow.

Putin has prioritized the development of hypersonic missile technology, but this has not brought him much advantage in the war in Ukraine.

Moscow often brags about its hypersonic weapons (which can travel more than five times the speed of sound or Mach 5) as being “unstoppable.”

Few have been seen in action, however, and Kiev has said it has been able to shoot down such missiles, a major blow to Putin’s goal of developing an arsenal to rival that of the United States and other Western countries .

Specifically, in May, Ukraine said it had shot down six Russian Kinzhal (Dagger) missiles. Russia rejected the Kiev report.

Golubkin’s trail was kept secret.

His lawyer Alexander Timoshenko said earlier: ‘He does not admit guilt.

“He’s a theoretical physicist, he explained to me what he was doing, [concerning] theoretical physics. He had no access to state secrets.’

Another Russian colleague and Golubkin’s supervisors Anatoly Gubanov, was arrested in December 2020 for high treason.

The Moscow court where scientist Golubkin was sentenced Monday is seen (file photo)

Putin has prioritized the development of hypersonic missile technology, but this has not brought him much advantage in the war in Ukraine. Pictured: A Russian fighter jet carries a Kinzhal (dagger) hypersonic missile, a model that Ukraine managed to shoot down

Golubkin said his arrest was related to Gubanov’s testimony and that he passed on two of his reports to colleagues in the Netherlands on Gubanov’s orders.

According to Russia Free Press, another of Golubkin’s lawyers, Ivan Pavlov, said that the Russian security service FSB “saw betrayal in the fact that Golubkin participated in the official international project HEXAFLY-INT (High-Speed ​​Experimental Fly Vehicles).”

He did so, Pavlov said, “according to a contract between TsAGI and the European Institute, in which, at the direction of his superiors, he sent reports on the work done.”

Human rights project Pervy Otdel said: “Three committees confirmed that there was no classified information [in the Golubkin case]… Those reports were available to be published and shared with international partners.”