Russian physicist Anatoly Maslov, who was arrested in 2022 and accused of state treason, attends a court hearing in Saint Petersburg, Russia, May 21, 2024. REUTERS/Anton Vaganov
(Reuters) - Russian physicist Anatoly Maslov was convicted of treason on Tuesday and sentenced to 14 years in a penal colony, a Reuters reporter at the court said.
Maslov, 77, is one of a string of eminent Russian scientists who have been charged with treason in recent years.
He and a number of the others had conducted theoretical work in areas relevant to the development of hypersonic missiles - cutting-edge weapons capable of carrying payloads at up to 10 times the speed of sound to punch through air-defence systems.
Maslov was convicted by a St Petersburg court following a trial that was close to the media. He had protested his innocence.
(Reporting by Reuters, writing by Mark Trevelyan)
