During discussions in court, prosecutors asked for a harsh sentence for Ivan Safronov, the former Kommersant and Vedomosti correspondent who leads Roskosmos, accusing him of treason and seeking 24 years in a strict regime colony.
“The state prosecutor’s office asked for a guilty verdict on treason and a 24-year term in a tight regime colony”, the court stated.
According to lawyer Yevgeny Smirnov, the prosecution proposed 17 years for the episode involving Martin Larisch, the head of a Czech analytical center, and 19 years for the episode involving political scientist Demuri Voronin and treason charges.
The prosecutor’s office also sought a 500,000 ruble fine, seizure of proceeds from crime, and a two-year restriction on freedom after release, including a ban on visiting certain places and mandatory regular reporting to a monitoring authority.
“Before the discussion, prosecutors offered a 12-year prison sentence in exchange for pleading guilty”, Smirnov noted.
The investigator reportedly pressed Safronov to strike a deal several times, including attempts to contact his mother, but Safronov declined. The journalist stated, “I have made my choice; there is no agreement.”
Because the case involves state secrets, the proceedings are conducted out of the press and public view. The case is being heard by a tripartite panel chaired by Dmitry Gordeev. On August 30, the defense challenged the entire court structure. A verdict is expected on September 5, with the court promising to announce the sentence length in an open session.
Witnesses plead not guilty
On August 29, Safronov’s defense argued that Demuri Voronin, a key prosecution witness, had retracted his testimony. According to attorney Ivan Pavlov, Voronin is also accused of treason and had reached a deal with investigators to testify against Safronov in exchange for a lighter sentence—an agreement that Voronin later repudiated at court and provided new statements favorable to Safronov.
Pavlov added that Safronov and Voronin were introduced by journalist and Human Rights Council member Ekaterina Vinokurova. Voronin testified at the trial but on the side of Safronov. The defense contended that there is no evidence showing Safronov knew his information sources’ connections to foreign intelligence services and argued that Safronov’s journalistic work—not intelligence activities—was the basis for the charges.
Earlier, lawyers had asked the court to return the case to the prosecutor’s office due to alleged violations, but the court denied the request.
Larisch not summoned for questioning
Additionally, the Moscow City Court declined to summon Czech citizen Martin Larisch for questioning. The investigation alleges that Safronov provided him classified information.
Smirnov told TASS that the prosecution claims Safronov forwarded materials to Larisch and handed them to NATO services. He noted that the defense questioned Larisch, but the court refused to include those statements in the case file.
In Larisch’s testimony, he denied receiving secret materials from Safronov. He said he mainly wrote articles reflecting his opinions and that he is planning a joint journalistic project with Safronov, unrelated to sensitive information.
What the journalist is accused of
Ivan Safronov has been held at Lefortovo pre-trial detention center for more than two years, having been detained on July 7, 2020, on treason charges. He has maintained that he did not commit wrongdoing and that his work was limited to journalism with no access to state secrets. He asserts that the case is a political or professional persecution rather than a crime tied to intelligence work.
Roskosmos stated that Safronov did not access state secrets and emphasized that the case involves no employment with a state company. Following his detention, several Russian media outlets, including Kommersant, Forbes Russia, RBC and Vedomosti, publicly supported Safronov and urged a transparent public review of the case, rather than a closed-door process. The Kremlin responded that media support for Safronov was emotionally charged and not indicative of professional work.
Investigators allege that in 2012 Safronov was recruited by a Czech intelligence representative and that in 2017 he provided confidential information about Russia’s military-technical ties with African countries. They claim the United States was the ultimate recipient of the information. The investigation also alleges that in December 2015, Safronov supplied political scientist Demuri Voronin, who holds dual Russian-German citizenship, with information regarding Russian Armed Forces activity in Syria, and that this information was allegedly shared with representatives of the Russian Federation, the University of Zurich, and Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service.