Ivan Safronov, 32, who was a defense and space journalist for Kommersant and Vedomosti newspapers before becoming an adviser to the head of Russia’s space agency, was arrested in 2020 and charged with leaking classified information. He has been in custody since his arrest in Moscow. Safronov’s father also worked for Kommersant, covering military issues after he retired from the armed forces. In 2007 he died after falling from the window of his apartment building in Moscow. Investigators concluded he committed suicide, but some Russian media disputed the official version, pointing to his intention to publish a sensitive report on secret arms deliveries to Iran and Syria. Safronov’s lawyers told the RIA Novosti news agency that they would appeal the verdict. His supporters say the case is retaliation for his reporting, which revealed details of Russia’s international arms deals.
“The accusation of treason is absurd”
“Everyone close to Safronov believes the accusation of treason is absurd,” journalist Katerina Gordeeva said after interviewing his mother, sister and former colleagues for a documentary on the case. Hours before the decision was announced by the Moscow City Court, 15 independent Russian media outlets issued a joint statement calling for Safronov’s release. “It is obvious to us that the reason for the prosecution of Ivan Safronov is not ‘treason’, which has not been substantiated … but his work as a journalist and the stories he published without taking into account the opinion of the Ministry of Defense or the Russian authorities. “, the announcement states. The media outlet Novaya Gazeta is included in the statement. Separately on Monday, a Moscow court revoked the publication license for Media, a flagship independent newspaper that ceased publication days after Russia sent tens of thousands of troops to Ukraine and imposed tight new media controls. The European Union on Monday also urged Russian authorities to drop all charges against Safronov and “release him without conditions”, denouncing the regime’s “systematic crackdown on independent journalism”. Speaking outside court, Safronov’s lawyer, Dmitry Katchev, said he was almost at a loss for words at the verdict. “Safronov was given 22 years for his journalistic activity. I want each of you, who are looking at me now, to think whether it is worth staying in this profession if someone was given 22 years to do his job,” he told reporters .
“Severe Punishment”
Human rights lawyer Pavel Chikov said the sentence was a “brutal, spectacularly cruel punishment, corresponding to the current situation in Russia”. He said he could find no examples of treason cases leading to such a large sentence, let alone a journalist. Prosecutors said Safronov shared state secrets about Russia’s arms sales in the Middle East to the Czech Republic’s foreign intelligence department. He denied the charges and last month rejected a plea deal that would have seen him serve 12 years in prison.
The information was not secret, the defense says
Safronov said the information he allegedly passed on to the Czech Republic was all open source public information. During the trial, his legal team released links to 19 published articles and government statements that prosecutors claim are “state secrets” that Safronov allegedly passed on to Czech intelligence. “Ivan never sent classified information anywhere — for money or for free … He was an ordinary journalist, honestly doing his job,” his lawyers said in a statement. After his arrest, the Kremlin called Safronov a “talented journalist,” while he has repeatedly denied involvement in the case. His defense team believes the trial is revenge against Safronov for revealing Russia’s plans to sell fighter jets to Egypt. The estimated $2 billion deal was scrapped soon after when the US threatened Cairo with sanctions if it went ahead.
