“I love you!”: Ivan Safronov took 22 years to communicate with strangers

The Moscow City Court sentenced Ivan Safronov, adviser to the head of Roskomsosa, to 22 years in prison in a strict regime colony. He will also face a two-year restriction of freedom and a fine of 500 thousand rubles after his release. Safronov denies the charges and denies guilt in all respects. According to investigators, he transferred the information constituting a state secret to foreign intelligence services. The criminal case is connected with the journalist’s publications on the supply of weapons to the countries of Africa, the Middle East and the CSTO.

“Send Safronov to 22 years in prison for serving in a strict regime colony,” said the judges’ decision.

The parties have 10 days to appeal the court decision, it has not yet entered into force. Safronov’s defense has already filed an appeal and will seek his acquittal. “We immediately went to the office and made a brief appeal,” said lawyer Daniil Nikiforov.

“Safronov was sentenced to 2 years in prison, which he spent in a pre-trial detention center. Since he’s been found guilty of committing a particularly serious crime, he must serve at least two-thirds of his parole period. Thus, he can count on parole in about 14 years, ”explained a TASS interlocutor in the justice authorities.

“I love you!” Safronov told his relatives before he was removed from the courtroom.

The two-part lawsuit has been pending since March. The prosecutor’s office demanded that Safronov be sentenced to 24 years in prison, with a fine of 500 thousand rubles and a two-year restriction of freedom, after his release.

heart of matter

Safronov dealt with military and space issues at Kommersant and Vedomosti before moving to Roscosmos. He was detained on 7 July 2020. The FSB reported that it was accused of transferring classified information about the Russian military-technical cooperation and defense complex to the special services of NATO countries. The journalist’s defense stated that investigators suspected that Safronov had been working for the Czech special services since 2012. The investigation believes that the United States is the ultimate recipient of classified information.

The case is built around two parts: Safronov is accused of giving confidential data to Czech journalist Martin Larisch and German political scientist Demuri Voronin. It is assumed that Safronov for selfish purposes gave Larish military-technical information on the supply of weapons to Africa, the Middle East and CSTO members. TASS reported that Larish was Safronov’s so-called “worker”. Safronov has repeatedly stated that he does not hide the fact that he met with Larishes and that they communicate with each other only as colleagues. The investigation names Larisch an employee of Czech intelligence, he himself denies any connection with the special services. However, on August 26, the Moscow City Court refused to summon Larish to question or add Larisch’s testimony to the case file, TASS cited a lawyer.

Voronin, according to the investigation, Safronov reported on the activities of the Russian army in Syria, after which this information was transmitted to representatives of the University of Zurich and German intelligence.

For this information, according to the prosecutor’s office, Voronin mercenary Safronov $248 reward.

In addition, Voronin himself is a defendant in a criminal case of treason, the investigation calls Agent of the German secret services. He was a witness for the prosecution in the Safronov case, but gave evidence in court that spoke of the counselor’s innocence to the head of Roscosmos.

According to the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation, “The long-term facts during 2015-2019 are that Safronov discovered and collected classified and top-secret information, including military-technical cooperation with Russia. CSTO states, as well as the countries of the Middle East, Africa and the Balkan Peninsula”.

Safronov denies guilt, twice rejected a deal with the investigation.

In his last speech, he stated that his criminal prosecution was related to his journalistic activities, that there was no evidence of mercenary motives in the case, and that someone had passed on or forwarded information that constituted state secrets to him.

He insists that he does not have state secrets and does not pass them on to foreign intelligence agencies. He also said the following about the misreading of journalistic materials: The experts compared the 2017 text from open sources with top secret documents of 2018, and also considered the 2016 information from Arms Export magazine as confidential from 2017..

What could be a state secret?

The media attributed the criminal case to publishing information about the supply of Russian Su-35 fighters to Egypt and aviation destruction vehicles in the Kommersant newspaper in March 2019. Following the publication of the publication by the Egyptian Defense Attaché in Moscow, Brigadier General Mohamed Mansi sent a letter to the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSVTS) and asked the Russian authorities. “To take all necessary measures and actions to declare that the news in question is denied”.

According to the Russian service of the BBC, another representative of the Egyptian Ministry of Defense noted that in his correspondence with his Russian colleagues, there were news of military-technical cooperation with Egypt. “adversely affects all existing agreements between the parties” and may lead to “undesirable consequences”.. Two months after publication, the article was removed from the publication’s website.

According to Russian media, another reason for the criminal case may be publications about the supply of Russian weapons to other countries, information that Safronov himself received from open sources. So, for example, this may apply to the publications of the journalist, in which he reported on the supply of An-26 transport aircraft and T-72 tanks to Serbia. In addition, publications of Larisch’s Center for the Analysis and Prevention of Security Threats on possible arms deliveries to Libya, Algeria, Egypt, Iraqi Kurdistan, the size and composition of the Russian military contingent in Syria may also be relevant to the criminal case.