An AFP journalist present at the trial found on Monday that a Russian court had sentenced former journalist Ivan Safronov, a military affairs expert, to 22 years in prison for treason.
Safronov, 32, who has been in prison since 2020, is expected to serve his sentence in a “heavy prison colony”, according to a Moscow municipal court decision announced amid a conflict with Ukraine.
Ivan Safronvo, a renowned expert on defense matters, smiled as the verdict was announced.
“Vania, we love you!” in the room, referring to Ivan by his nickname. He had supporters shouting. Other fans burst into tears.
The former journalist’s lawyers said they would immediately appeal.
Safronov is accused of briefing a Russian-German political expert on Russian military operations in Syria (he was also detained in Russia for “treason”) and briefing Czech intelligence services about the supply of Russian weapons to Africa.
Safronov categorically denies these accusations.
He previously worked for two Russian national newspapers, Vedomosti and Kommersant. He was forced to resign from his position at Kommersant in 2019, becoming an adviser to Dmitri Rogozin, then head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, in May 2020.
Some of his former colleagues denounced his affair as revenge for his articles in which he talked about embarrassing events in the Russian army.
source: Noticias
