Russia arrested a former journalist and accused him of treason

His detention caused fear among journalists of a new wave of repression, and in Komersant, one of the newspapers where he used to work, they wrote that the accusations seem absurd because he is a true patriot

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Ivan Safronov, Photo: BETAPHOTO
Ivan Safronov, Photo: BETAPHOTO
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

Russian security forces on Tuesday arrested a former journalist who works as an adviser to the head of Russia's space agency and charged him with treason, claiming he had leaked military secrets to an unnamed NATO member, Hina reports.

A video released by the FSB shows armed agents arresting and searching Ivan Safronov outside his apartment in Moscow.

He wrote about military affairs, now he faces 20 years in prison

During the interrogation, Safronov rejected the accusations of passing state secrets to a foreign power, the TASS news agency reported.

Safronov, who wrote about military affairs for two national newspapers, could face 20 years in prison if found guilty. He is expected to be tried behind closed doors due to sensitive issues.

His detention caused fear among journalists of a new wave of repression, and in Komersant, one of the newspapers where he used to work, they wrote that the accusations seem absurd because he is a true patriot.

Some of his former colleagues protested outside FSB headquarters before he was detained.

The FSB accuses Safronov of working for an unnamed foreign intelligence service.

"Safronov, while carrying out tasks for the intelligence service of a NATO country, collected and handed over state secrets and information about military cooperation and defense and security of the Russian Federation," the indictment states.

Kremlin: The charges are not related to Safron's journalistic work

His lawyer, Oleg Eliseev, said that he is not yet allowed access to the client.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he did not believe the charges were related to Safronov's work as a journalist.

The space agency said that Safronov had no access to secrets and that the case was unrelated to his position at the agency.

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