Russia Jails Hypersonic Missile Scientists for 12.5 Years Over Treason

Russian courts have sentenced two scientists involved in hypersonic research to 12.5 years in prison on charges of treason, in a case linked to the publication of academic work abroad.

According to Reuters on May 5, physicists Valery Zvegintsev and Vladislav Galkin were convicted in Novosibirsk and will serve their sentences in a high-security penal colony. Reuters reports that the case is part of a broader series of prosecutions targeting researchers working on high-speed flight technologies.

The Russian outlet Kommersant, which cited a courtroom correspondent, the charges stem from a scientific article on gas dynamics published in a foreign journal. The research focused on airflow systems for supersonic and hypersonic aircraft.

Despite undergoing independent reviews prior to publication that reportedly found no classified information, investigators treated the material as the disclosure of state secrets.

Zvegintsev, a senior researcher at the Khristianovich Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics in Novosibirsk, led a laboratory specializing in high-speed aerogasdynamics. Galkin, based in Tomsk, collaborated with him on multiple scientific publications. Both men denied guilt, according to Reuters.

The technologies discussed in their research are linked to systems used in Russia’s hypersonic weapons programs, including the Kinzhal, Zircon, Avangard, and Sarmat missiles.

Read more

Category

War in Ukraine

Russia’s Kinzhal Missile, the Dagger at the Heart of Putin’s Propaganda

Jan 14, 2025 16:30

Zvegintsev is 82 years old, while Galkin is 71. Supporters of the scientists have stated that their academic work and participation in international conferences had been approved in advance by Russian authorities.

Earlier, Russia recorded a sharp rise in treason and espionage convictions, with 224 verdicts issued in just the first six months of 2025—the highest figure in modern Russian history, averaging nearly two convictions per day.

Protect Ukrainian Skies

Subscribe to Sky Defense