Novosibirsk physicist Valery Zvegintsev was arrested on suspicion of treason under Article 275 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. In this open letter, posted on website ITAM SB RAS reported their colleagues, employees of the Khristianovich Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (ITAM), Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (SB RAS).
Zvegintsev is the Institute’s principal investigator, Doctor of Technical Sciences, specialist in hypersonic aerodynamics, author of more than 300 scientific papers, a monograph and 10 patents.
The letter also mentions the names of aerodynamic physicists Anatoly Maslov and Alexander Shiplyuk, who were arrested under Article 275 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation in the summer of 2022.
“They are all known for their brilliant scientific results. Their competence and professional reputation allowed them to get a high-paying and prestigious job abroad, but they did not leave their homeland and devoted their lives to serving Russian science.
Our colleagues have always been faithful to the interests of the country, they experienced the most difficult times of the nineties with our institute, helped preserve science in Novosibirsk, conducted research at the highest world level and actively worked with young physicists. open letter
Moreover, despite the classified nature of the materials of the Zvegintsev, Maslov and Shiplyuk cases, their colleagues from open sources know that “actions by which our colleagues can spend the rest of their lives behind bars are considered an obligatory component of conscientious and high-quality scientific activity all over the world and including in Russia. .
According to Novosibirsk scientists, we are talking about presentations at international seminars and conferences, the publication of scientific articles in top foreign journals and participation in international scientific projects.
They also emphasized that the materials of the arrested physicists were repeatedly checked by the ITAM SB RAS’s expert commission – whether there was classified information in them – and they found nothing.
In addition, according to the authors of the letter, today “any article or report may lead to treason charges.” Against this background, young people who follow the scientific path are leaving this field and a number of scientific fields in aviation research are suddenly closed.
“Young professionals understand that this can affect any scientific discipline, which makes working in science unattractive to them. In fact, there are visible signs of a repeat of the situation in the 1990s. Indigenous science may not withstand such a second blow ”
– It is also stated in the article that was unanimously accepted by the ITAM SB RAS Academic Board.
The Novosibirsk portal NGS.RU reported that the Novosibirsk Sovetsky District Court arrested Valery Zvegintsev on April 7. The Federal Security Service of the Novosibirsk Region and the district prosecutor’s office do not comment on Zvegintsev’s case. According to RIA Novosti, referring to the department of the judicial department in the region, Zvegintsev was placed under house arrest, and the court decision was not appealed.
The letter of the scientists defending the physicists was interpreted in the State Duma. Oleg Smolin, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma for Science and Higher Education, said: broadcast on NSNWhat
Russian scientists have always been expected to cooperate with their foreign colleagues, but the FSB now sees cooperation as a “military information leak.”
“Until recently, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education demanded that scientists cooperate as much as possible with their foreign colleagues. The effectiveness of the scientist’s activity was largely determined by publications in international databases and journals. It can also be used in engineering, physics, mathematics, etc. If we are talking about scientists in the fields, it is possible that articles have been published in international databases that can also be used for the purposes of the military-industrial complex. stressed the MP.
Smolin also suggested that the FSB and the Ministry of Education and Science reach an agreement and draw up a joint instruction for Russian scientists.
On the other hand, the FSB has repeatedly arrested scientists on charges of treason. My guess is that the vast majority of these scientists never considered or thought of themselves as traitors. <…> The Ministry of Science and Higher Education and the FSB need to agree
We need common direction on how our scientists’ international activities should be evaluated and what kind of collaborations should not be offered to our scientists. Otherwise, scientists are being held hostage,” he said.
– said the deputy.
He added that collaborative scientific work based on open sources is not treason, even from the point of view of common sense. “But such accusations have already been made,” summarized Oleg Smolin.