• Valery Zvegintsev (82) and Vladislav Galkin (71) were sentenced to 12.5 years in prison for treason related to hypersonic missile research.
  • Both worked on research underpinning Russia’s hypersonic missiles, which Putin boasts are world-leading.
  • Zvegintsev was a top scientist at the Khristianovich Institute in Novosibirsk; two colleagues were already convicted in 2024.
  • Russia has brought at least 10 treason cases against hypersonics scientists in the past decade.
  • The men pleaded not guilty; supporters say their publications and travel were cleared by Russian security services.

Sources & Links