RUSSIA has jailed yet another leading hypersonic scientist on suspicion of “high treason”.
Vladislav Galkin’s detention comes amid claims that the despot’s henchmen are engaged in a “spy mania” witch-hunt among leading aerospace academics.
East2WestProfessor Vladislav Galkin, 68, has been detained by Putin for ‘high treason’[/caption]
East2WestHe is the latest aerospace academic to be jailed by Putin’s security services[/caption]
The 68-year-old was held apparently as part of a probe that has now seen six world class hypersonic and laser scientists detained, one of whom died in custody.
They are all allegedly accused of leaking secrets to the West.
Professor Galkin, who heads unique hypersonic research at Tomsk Polytechnic University, was held on the order of a court in Novosibirsk, according to Russian reports.
The precise details of the accusations against him are unclear as the Russian authorities have made no comment on the case.
As news broke of the professor’s detention, the house arrest of Dr Valery Zvegintsev, 78, was simultaneously extended.
The founder of an institute focused on hypersonic technologies was detained in April also on suspicion of high treason.
The court has previously refused to allow him to take walks.
His arrest triggered a backlash from fellow scientists who accuse Putin’s FSB security service of a witch-hunt.
The most brutal arrest was Professor Dmitry Kolker, 54, a laser specialist, who was detained inside Moscow’s notorious Lefortovo prison against medical advice despite having fourth stage cancer.
Kolker, who worked at of the Institute of Laser Physics in Novosibirsk, was held on suspicion of treason and later died in custody July 2, 2022.
Alexander Shiplyuk, 57, was 16 months ago held in a swoop by Putin’s spy chiefs in Siberia, where he heads the Khristianovich Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics.
Then in June 2022, the institute’s chief researcher Professor Anatoly Maslov, 76, a pioneer of hypersonic technologies, was also seized.
Shiplyuk and Maslov are now both held in Lefortovo jail.
Last month, Professor Anatoly Gubanov, 66, head of Russia’s secretive aircraft and rocket aerodynamic centre was jailed for 12 years on high treason charges.
The eminent physicist is an expert in hypersonic aviation technology and high speed missiles and was jailed in a strict regime maximum security jail after a secret trial.
When Zvegintsev was held, fellow scientists angrily hit back at the wave of arrests – but their protests have been ignored by the FSB which has been accused of seeing enemies around every corner.
“All of them are known for their brilliant scientific results,” said a letter on his institute’s website.
“Their competencies and professional reputation allowed them to find highly paid and prestigious jobs abroad.
“But they did not leave their homeland, devoting their lives to serving Russian science.”
All those detained in Siberia have insisted they were innocent.
Putin, 71, has pioneered nuclear-capable hypersonic missiles, and is seen as having gained an advantage on the West.
Some – like Kinzhal or Dagger – have been used in his war against Ukraine with conventional warheads.
The world’s biggest missile, Sarmat, also known as Satan-2, is reportedly “combat ready” despite doubts it is fully tested and operational.
Russian media claimed that the “unstoppable” 15,880mph doomsday missile system – the size of a 14-storey tower block – will go into action this month.
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