As Russia inches towards the deployment of hypersonic missiles, it is becoming increasingly paranoid about leaks of secrets from prominent Russian scientists.
“Hypersonic” stands for speeds greater than Mach 5 (five times the speed of sound). Recently developed Russian missiles include ballistic air-launched, nuclear-capable Mach-8 Zircon and Mach-10 Kinzhal (Dagger) designed to target aircraft carriers, as well as the Mach-27 Avangard glide vehicle that separates from an intercontinental ballistic missile and carries a two-megaton nuclear yield. High speed and maneuverability of hypersonic vehicles reduce the effectiveness of countermeasures.
As it moves through the air at meteoric speed, the hypersonic vehicle is surrounded by a fireball. Such a fireball accompanies every reentry of a spacecraft in the Earth atmosphere. It can threaten the integrity of the spacecraft and disrupt its electronic communications. (Remember the “Apollo 13” movie?) Rocket scientists have been studying this phenomenon since the dawn of space exploration. Progress made has improved performance during launch and descent, but it has also opened the Pandora’s box of guided hypersonic missiles.
Russian scientists that conducted this research in cooperation with their Western colleagues have now been accused of treason.
In July 2018, the FSB (the Russian Federal Security Service) arrested Victor Kudryavtsev, a lead Russian researcher on modeling of the airflow around rockets during launch and reentry in the atmosphere. Kudryavtsev worked at the Russian rocket-building institute TsNIIMash for 48 years, rising from an engineer to the deputy director of the Heat Exchange and Aerogas Dynamics Center.
From 2011 to 2013, Kudryavtsev directed on behalf of TsNIIMash a collaborative project coordinated by Von Karman Institute of Fluid Dynamics in Belgium. The German Aerospace Center and two other Russian research institutions have also been involved. It was a part of Russia’s growing scientific cooperation with the West that ended with the Russian occupation of Crimea in 2014.
Kudryavtsev has been accused of revealing state secrets to Von Karman scientists during his visits of the Belgian institute. At the time of his arrest, he did not have security clearance for 20 years. He has been held in Lefortovo prison in Moscow ever since his arrest. At 75, he is suffering from diabetes and a heart condition. In May 2019, he was briefly hospitalized in response to the order issued by the European Court on Human Rights.
So far, prosecution led by Lieutenant Colonel of Justice Alexander Chaban on behalf of the FSB has not produced any evidence of a crime committed by Kudryavtsev. After months of interrogations, none of Kudryavtsev’s colleagues at TsNIIMash has agreed to testify against him. Chaban has pressured Kudryavtsev on testifying against his former student and director of Kudryavtsev’s research center Roman Kovalev in exchange for Kudrysavtsev’s release from prison. He refused.
On June 5, 2019, the FSB raided the apartment of Kovalev near Moscow, where he lived with his wife. They also searched Kovalev’s dacha for evidence of ties to NATO. After finding nothing of interest, they confiscated all electronic devices belonging to the couple. Kovalev, 56, has been accused of treason and taken to Lefortovo prison. That notorious Moscow prison now has two top Russian rocket scientists. Kovalev will undoubtedly be pressured to testify against his former mentor in exchange for freedom.
Next month marks one year since Kudryavtsev entered Lefortovo. A highly respected rocket scientist and a recipient of numerous awards from the Russian Federation and space industry, he shares a 70 sq. ft. cell with a political prisoner falsely accused of arson. On Thursdays, he is permitted to take a 15-minute shower. He is allowed to speak with his family once a month and to meet with his lawyer every two weeks. Russia counts one day of pretrial detention as one and a half days toward a future prison term.
In April 2019, Kudryavtsev was visited in prison by Dunja Mijatović, commissioner for human rights of the Council of Europe. His defense is built by a prominent Russian human rights lawyer, Ivan Pavlov. But hopes are bleak; catching spies brings awards too. The FSB, like its KGB predecessor, rarely admits mistakes.
Eugene M. Chudnovsky is a distinguished professor at the City University of New York and co-chair of the Committee of Concerned Scientists.
