Russia arrests head of hypersonic missile lab for treason
- Andrei Shiplyuk coordinated research to support the development of the weapon systems, which Putin has touted as a strategic advantage for Russia
- Last month, another senior scientist at the same Novosibirsk institute was detained for allegedly divulging state secrets on hypersonic technology
The director of a Russian laboratory working on hypersonic missiles, a weapon where President Vladimir Putin claims a strategic advantage for Russia, has been arrested on suspicion of treason, the state-run TASS news agency reported on Friday.
Hypersonic missiles can travel at up to nine times the speed of sound, and Putin has said that Russia’s are unmatched and will be deployed with the navy in the next few months.
Andrei Shiplyuk heads the hypersonics laboratory at the Novosibirsk Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics and has in recent years coordinated research to support the development of hypersonic missile systems, according to the institute’s website.
Last month, TASS reported that another senior scientist at Shiplyuk’s institute, situated in Novosibirsk’s Soviet-era Akademgorodok science park, around 2,800km (1,750 miles) east of Moscow, had also been arrested.
It cited a source close to the investigation by the FSB intelligence agency as saying that Maslov was suspected of divulging state secrets on hypersonic technology.