Russian ex-reporter now space aide held for treasonUntil he started his Roscosmos job in May, Safronov worked as a journalist covering defence matters and politicsMOSCOW - A high-profile Russian journalist who became an advisor to the head of the space agency was detained Tuesday on charges of treason for divulging state military secrets, authorities said. Ivan Safronov, 30, was one of Russia's most high profile journalists reporting on defence and politics. His arrest on charges that carry a maximum sentence of 20 years behind bars sparked an uproar among supporters. The charges were unrelated to his work at Roscosmos, the space agency said in a statement, adding it was "fully cooperating with the investigative authorities". The Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Safronov was accused of "committing high treason" and "transferring secret information to foreign intelligence services".

Source: Bangkok Post July 07, 2020 15:11 UTC