Alexander Lukanin was arrested on Tuesday after returning from China (Representation)
Moscow:
A Russian scientist has been arrested in Siberia for allegedly passing the technology on to China, Russian media reported Thursday.
Alexander Lukanin, a 64-year-old scientist from the Siberian city of Tomsk, was arrested on Tuesday after returning from China where he worked at a local university, according to MBKh Media, a outlet founded by Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
Lukanin’s apartment was also raided by the FSB’s security service, MBKh Media reported, citing one of the scientist’s friends.
A message sent by Reuters to Lukanin’s email address on Thursday went unanswered. There was no immediate comment from Russian or Chinese authorities.
Under Russian law, the illegal transfer of technology to a foreign country can lead to up to three years in prison.
The Interfax news agency cited a source that Lukanin was detained for allegedly passing the technology on to China, but was not charged with passing on state secrets, which could result in a sentence. heavier prison.
A number of Russian scientists have been arrested and charged with crimes such as treason in recent years for allegedly handing over sensitive material to foreigners, including Chinese nationals.
Kremlin critics say arrests often stem from unfounded paranoia.
In February, Valery Mitko, a scientist at the head of the Academy of Arctic Sciences in St. Petersburg, was charged with treason after being accused of passing state secrets to China.
Like Lukanin, Mitko had traveled to China to work at a university.
Despite the reluctance of some nationalist politicians, Russia has increasingly favored closer ties with China, especially as its relations with the West collapsed due to its annexation of Crimea to Ukraine. in 2014.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
