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According to sources from the security services, the Interfax and TASS news agencies reported that a scientist Alexander Kuranov was detained during a special operation of the Federal Security Service (FSB).
The press service of the Moscow District Court Lefortov confirmed to news agencies that the person was in custody.
The 73-year-old Kuranov is accused of passing “secret information” related to his investigations to a “foreign national”, but the state news agency RIA Novosti stressed that no further details of the case would be made public.
In Russia, treason cases involving between 12 and 20 years in prison are usually classified.
Kuranov heads the Hypersound Systems Research Company in Saint Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city.
According to a biography posted on his website, A. Kuranov is the author of more than 120 scientific articles and leads research on hypersonic technologies.
The biography adds that he “participates in the activities of international associations” and “performs work in accordance with the purchase orders of many countries in the world.”
Last month, Russia successfully tested the Zirkon, a hypersonic cruise missile launched from a ship at seven times the speed of sound.
President Vladimir Putin previously called the newly incorporated weapons system “unsurpassed.”
Moscow has introduced a number of new futuristic weapons models in recent years, the development of which is expected to give the country an advantage in the arms race with the United States in the face of high tensions between Russia and the West.
If further tests are successful, the Zirkon missile will be included in Russia’s hypersonic weapons arsenal, as will the Avangard and Kinshal hyper-missiles.
However, no evidence has been provided that Kuranov contributed to the development of such weapons.
In recent years, there have been several cases of state treason in Russia, including scientists accused of revealing state secrets.
Valery Golubkin, a professor of physics suspected of treason, who worked mainly at the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (CAGI) based in Zhukovsky, was arrested in Russia in April.
Another CAGI employee, Anatoly Gubanov, was also arrested in December for alleged treason, possibly passing classified information to western states.
This physicist specialized in the design of hypersonic aircraft.
