Through the arrests of colleagues: scientists in the Russian Federation avoid participating in significant missile studies - the media

About it reports The Wall Street Journal. The media quotes the words of physicist Yaroslav Kudryavtsev, whose father, Viktor Kudryavtsev, was accused of treason in 2018, and after 14 months he died in the Lefortovo detention center. The physicist stated that the Russian authorities actually "kills civilian science, trying to maintain the secrecy of military research. " The media indicates that a wave of repression among scientists' colleagues has greatly influenced them.

According to lawyer Yevgeny Smirnova, criminal cases against physicists could have been afraid of speeches at international conferences, communication with foreigners and further participation in fundamental studies in the field of hypersonic. International cooperation (trips abroad and joint articles with foreign colleagues) was the reason for the pursuit of scientists, Smirnov recalled.

Journalists write that, on the one hand, an increase in the number of criminal cases against physicists testifies to the Kremlin's paranoia, who tries to protect Russia's achievements in the field of hypersvin. On the other hand, according to surveyed researchers, criminal cases against physicists help the Kremlin to support narratives that the Russian Federation has achieved a significant technological advantage in the field of hypersonic. In their view, repression has a "theatrical effect".

The lawyer Smirnov adds that the Russian special services are repression in order to convince himself and Putin that Russia really has advanced scientific achievements and spies from all over the world are trying to steal them. " The media points out that "hypersonic rockets" is one of the favorite projects of Russian dictator Putin, and the first wave of arrests of physicists involved in its creation began after Putin's message in 2018.

At that time, the head of the Russian Federation boasted that the hypersonic rocket was able to overcome the US, but in May 2023 the Patriot system, which was provided by Western allies for Ukraine, shot down the hypersonic missile "dagger" above the sky of Kiev. We will remind, Focus wrote that on September 22 the Russian Federation conducted another unsuccessful test of the intercontinental missile "Sarmat".