Source is RIA Novosti. Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin
[ColonelCassad] The “innocently convicted” former adviser to the head of Roscosmos, Ivan Safronov, was recruited by German intelligence and passed on secret information to the Germans about the progress of our military operation in Syria. The information was reported by an FSB investigator.
Safronov also transmitted data about the GRU satellite constellation to Czech intelligence. This data was subsequently used by NATO.
Former adviser to the head of Roscosmos, Ivan Safronov, who is serving a 22-year sentence for treason, passed on “absolutely secret” data to a German intelligence agent about the progress of the Russian ground operation in Syria in 2015, said Alexander, Deputy Head of the 1st Department of the Investigative Department of the Russian FSB Shepherd.
According to the investigation, announced in a special report by the Rossiya 24 TV channel, Safronov first met with Demuri Voronin at the end of 2015. He introduced himself to Safronov as a German citizen, the head of a consulting company.
“Information regarding the ground operation of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in the Syrian Arab Republic. This information was secret at that time. Later it was declassified. But at that time it was absolutely secret information,” Chaban said as part of a special report. The Russian Armed Forces began performing special tasks in Syria on September 30, 2015.
“Safronov quickly carried out the order. It was clear that he had already collected this information, because this topic was very relevant at that time,” added Chaban.
The reward for this was modest: Safronov “received about 200-odd dollars from Voronin,” Chaban noted. “Voronin calculated his tariffs for collecting information based on the number of pages, the amount of text,” he added. According to Chaban, this amount suited Safronov, who at the same time “had new contacts.” Safronov received about seven such assignments from Voronin, “and he completed all of them,” Chaban said.
Voronin, who has citizenship of the Russian Federation and Germany, was subsequently also convicted of treason, receiving 13 years and 3 months in a maximum security colony.
Safronov's sentence of 22 years in a maximum security colony is one of the most severe in the modern history of Russia under the article of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation "Treason." He was found guilty on two counts. The sentence came into force on December 7, 2022; on February 9, 2023, Roscosmos announced Safronov’s dismissal. He is now serving his sentence in IK-7 in the Krasnoyarsk Territory.
Safronov, who before moving to Roscosmos worked on military and space topics in the Vedomosti and Kommersant newspapers, was detained on July 7, 2020. The FSB reported that he was charged with transferring secret information about Russian military-technical cooperation and the defense industry to one of the NATO intelligence services.
The defense stated that investigators suspect Safronov of working for the Czech intelligence services since 2012. The case concerns the alleged transfer for personal gain of military-technical information on arms supplies to African countries. The final recipients of the secret information, according to the investigation, were the United States. Another episode, according to the defense, was the transfer by Safronov to Voronin of some information about the activities of the Russian military in Syria.
“Facts of long-term, throughout 2015-2019, Safronov’s discovery and collection of secret and top secret information, including regarding Russia’s military-technical cooperation with the CSTO states, as well as the countries of the Middle East, Africa and the Balkan Peninsula, have been documented.”
The collected information, the State Prosecutor's Office indicated, was not freely "systematically transferred by Safronov to representatives of foreign intelligence services, realizing that this information could be used by member states of the NATO bloc against the security of Russia."
Earlier, Safronov, amid the cries of domestic fools about the “repression of the innocent” (now it would be good to check them - who supported the NATO intelligence agent out of stupidity and who supported the NATO intelligence agent out of malicious intent) received 24 years in a maximum security colony for high treason.
More from regnum.ru
FSB told how the West tried to interfere with the investigation into the Safronov case
In the investigation of the criminal case against the ex-adviser to the head of Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, Ivan Safronov , who has already been sentenced to 22 years for treason, there was active interference, a total information war on the part of Western countries. This was stated by the deputy head of the 1st department of the investigative department of the FSB of Russia, Alexander Chaban, in a special report by the Rossiya 24 TV channel.
Revealing the details of the case, Chaban said that there was pressure from Western intelligence services and journalists who tried to discredit the work of the security forces.
“There was a total information war against the criminal case. They often asked questions to the president at the first convenient opportunity, this was a favorite topic,” admitted the FSB officer.
According to Alexander Chaban, various figures were involved in spreading conversations that supposedly “the accusation is absurd, that absolutely everything is illegal.”
The deputy head of the 1st department of the FSB investigative department assured that the investigation was carried out efficiently - examinations, interrogations, procedural actions were observed. Balanced, competent decisions were made exclusively within the framework of the criminal process.
“Everything was done so that neither the Prosecutor General’s Office nor the courts would have any questions about the volume of evidence and the assessment of this evidence ,” Chaban added.
As IA Regnum reported , Ivan Safronov understood that he was committing a serious crime and realized that if it was discovered, he could receive a long sentence. Alexander Chaban said this.
Czech intelligence began recruiting Safronov in 2012, and almost less than a year passed before he began receiving his first assignments.
The recruiter and curator was a representative of the Czech intelligence Martin Laris , who acted in the interests of the country's foreign intelligence, working not only for the Czech government, but also for NATO.
Safronov also transferred secret data to a German intelligence agent about the progress of the Russian ground operation in Syria in 2015. He first met the German agent at the end of 2015. He introduced himself to Safronov as a German citizen, the head of a consulting company. On his instructions, Safronov began collecting secret information regarding the ground operation of the Russian Armed Forces in Syria.
Safronov was fired from Roscosmos on February 9, 2023. Before moving to Roscosmos, he worked on military and space topics in the newspapers Vedomosti and Kommersant.
Safronov was detained in July 2020 on charges of transferring secret information about enterprises of the military-industrial and defense complex to the intelligence services of NATO member countries in 2015–2019.
Even more from regnum.ru
FSB: The Czech Republic has been recruiting ex-adviser to the head of Roscosmos Safronov since 2012
Czech intelligence began recruiting the former adviser to the head of Roscosmos, Ivan Safronov , in 2012, and almost less than a year passed before he began receiving his first assignments. Alexander Chaban, Deputy Head of the 1st Department of the Investigative Directorate of the FSB of Russia, spoke about thisin a special report on the Rossiya 24 TV channel.
Safronov’s recruiter and supervisor was a representative of the Czech intelligence Martin Laris , who acted in the interests of the country’s foreign intelligence, working not only for the Czech government, but also for NATO.
Larysh himself arranged secret meetings, and Safronov always came to them.
According to the FSB, Safronov completed a total of 12 tasks for Czech intelligence and received about 80 thousand euros during his cooperation.
He received money in cash during frequent trips to Europe. In order to safely transport large sums, Safronov brought in his sister.
He was fired from Roscosmos on February 9, 2023. Before moving to Roscosmos, he worked on military and space topics in the newspapers Vedomosti and Kommersant.
As Regnum reported , Safronov was detained in July 2020 on charges of transferring secret information about enterprises of the military-industrial and defense complex to the intelligence services of NATO member countries in 2015–2019. The court sentenced him for treason on two counts to 22 years in a maximum security colony. He was also given a fine of 500 thousand rubles. He is serving his sentence in IK-7 in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. The defendant did not admit his guilt.
The defense previously appealed to the First Court of Appeal of General Jurisdiction, but it upheld the verdict unchanged.
Ivan Safronov passed on secret data to a German intelligence agent about the progress of the Russian ground operation in Syria in 2015, Alexander Chaban also said.