The secret information allegedly included data on underwater acoustics and submarine detection methods.
Russian scientist Valeri Mitko, a specialist in hydroacoustics and accused of revealing state secrets to China, died in Saint Petersburgas reported on Sunday by his lawyer.
He is the third Russian specialist to die in the last two years. after being charged or convicted of high treason in connection with technology for hypersonic weaponry.
«Today, at the age of 81, my client, Valeri Mitko, president of the Academy of Arctic Sciences, died.“, explained the lawyer to the First Department human rights project.
Mitko, which his defender defined as «one of the greatest specialists in hydroacoustics» from Russia, was accused in 2020 of «deliver materials, which allegedly contained information classified as top secretto the special services of China during a visit to that country».
Such secret information allegedly included data on underwater acoustics and submarine detection methods.
Mitko, who had been under house arrest for two years, was due to appear in court later this year.
Last April another convicted of high treason died of cancer, Roman Kovaliova scientist at TsNIIMash, a research institute linked to the Russian space agency, Roscosmos.
Kovalyov, who was sentenced to seven years in prison, died two weeks after being released for health reasons.. His wife had died a few days before.
He was a disciple of another scientist from the same center, Víctor Kudriavtsev, who also died of cancer a year ago after spending 18 months in preventive detention.
His lawyers then accused the Federal Security Service (FSB, formerly KGB) of undermining his health and the advancement of science in Russia with fabricated accusations.
According to the press, the two scientists were accused of disclosing the technical results of the use of supersonic technology in the Kinzhal high-precision missile and the Avangard system.
Precisely this technology is one of the priorities of the new generation weapons development program approved by the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, who presented it with great fanfare in 2018.
Putin, who maintains that said weapons “unparalleled” and can circumvent the US anti-missile shield, has assured on several occasions that it will resort to “all means” to defend the territorial integrity of Russia, to which four Ukrainian regions annexed by the Kremlin belong since Friday.