A Moscow court on Monday sentenced a prominent former military-affairs journalist to 22 years in prison on treason charges for allegedly passing state secrets to NATO states, amid an escalating campaign to wipe out independent media.
The length of the sentence handed to Ivan Safronov, 32, a journalist specializing in the defense industry and space sector, is “unprecedented,” with the harshest prison term for treason until today being 20 years, said his attorney, Yevgeny Smirnov. Lawyers will appeal the sentence, he said.
Investigators accused Safronov of passing classified information to Czech intelligence that Prague then passed on to the U.S., according to former defense lawyer, Ivan Pavlov, who continues to advise his legal team. Both Smirnov and Pavlov now live outside Russia after being forced to leave the country by official pressure. A third lawyer for Safronov is in detention.
