A Russian scientist died two days after being arrested by the Kremlin: “Putin sees spies everywhere”

Russian scientist Dmitry Kolker was charged with treason by the Kremlin

Dmitry Kolker, one of Russia’s leading scientists, died less than two days after being taken from hospital where he was undergoing cancer treatment and transferred to one of the Kremlin’s prisons on charges of “high treason”. Dr. Kolker, 54, was transferred from the southern Russian city of Novosibirsk, where he taught quantum physics and mathematics, to Moscow’s Lefortovo prison last Friday.

Russia detained a scientist in Siberia on suspicion of “betrayal of the state” for his alleged collaboration with China’s security services, the state news agency reported on Friday. TASSciting regional authorities and the man’s family. Several Russian scientists have been arrested and charged with treason in recent years for allegedly passing sensitive material to foreigners.. Kremlin critics say the arrests are often the result of unfounded paranoia.

“Putin is seeing spies everywhere”, assured one of the academics close to the scientist. State treason is punishable in Russia with up to 20 years in prison.

TASS quoted Kolker’s family as saying he was accused of collaborating with the Chinese security services. Kolker had previously given an international lecture in China and had now been transferred to a Moscow prison, his son Maxim said.

Kolker’s daughter said the scientist has been diagnosed with stage four cancer, reported TASS.

Dr. Kolker’s family accused the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) of ‘torture’ and abusing the doctor’s human rights by removing him from his medical center where he received his cancer treatment. stage 4 pancreas. The FSB claimed that it had medical clearance to disconnect and lock him up as part of a major espionage investigation. The scientist was accused of leading an espionage network in favor of China together with Professor Anatoly Maslov, 75, a professor of hypersonic technologies.

Maslov remains in Lefortovo, which became famous during the Great Purge of Stalin’s political opponents, businessmen and scientists.