MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th July, 2020) The Russian Union of Journalists (RUJ) has requested the country's Federal Security Service (FSB) to shed light on whether the treason case of Russian space agency official Ivan Safronov is connected with his previous work as a reporter.
"RUJ has also sent an inquiry to FSB Director A.V. Bortnikov requesting information on whether the detention and initiation of criminal proceedings against Ivan Safronov are related to his professional journalistic activities," the press release read.
On Tuesday, a Moscow court ordered two months in pre-trial detention for Safronov, an adviser to the Roscosmos chief. According to Safronov's lawyer, his client is being accused of passing information about Russia's defense cooperation with Africa and its military activities in the middle East to Czech special services. The United States is believed to have been the ultimate recipient of the secret data. Safronov denies the high treason claims against him.
Roscosmos said that the detention was unrelated to the official's work for the space agency. Before getting a post in Roscosmos in May, Safronov worked for Russian Kommersant and Vedomosti newspapers for 10 years, covering topics related to defense and space industries. Kommersant has dismissed the high treason accusations against the ex-reporter as absurd, calling the latter a true patriot.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Safronov's case appears to have nothing to do with his previous journalistic work.
