Danil Mukhametov, a former engineer at the Uralvagonzavod military facility in the Urals city of Nizhny Tagil, was sentenced to 16 years in prison on November 5 on charges of high treason.
Mukhametov, who worked at the plant responsible for producing military equipment, including tanks, was convicted for allegedly providing Ukrainian intelligence with classified materials. The court also imposed a fine of 300,000 rubles ($3,035).
Mukhametov's wife, Viktoria Mukhametova, was previously convicted in a separate case for the same offense, receiving a sentence of 12 1/2 years in prison. During her trial, she admitted to handing over the sensitive information for a payment of 100,000 rubles.
Mukhametova struck a deal with investigators, which led to her case being considered separately. Because the proceedings were held behind closed doors, details of the deal are not known, and it is not known whether Mukhametova was under duress when she agreed to separating the cases.
SEE ALSO: U.S. Slams Prison Sentence Against Ex-Consulate Worker In VladivostokThe couple were detained in March 2023, initially arrested for alleged public misconduct. They claimed they had not been involved in obscene behavior but were nonetheless placed under administrative arrest for 12 days.
Upon release, the couple were rearrested and charged with high treason after further investigation.
More than a dozen scientists and engineers have been arrested in Russia on treason charges since 2018, mostly for activities considered a normal part of their work, such as possessing papers, publishing papers internationally, collaborating with colleagues from other countries, and attending international conferences.
The trial of Mukhametov took place behind closed doors, with details of his defense and plea not made public. The case was overseen by Judge Andrei Mineyev, who also presided over the high-profile espionage trial of Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich.
Gershkovich was sentenced to 16 years in prison in July on charges of espionage, which he and his employer strongly denied. Mukhametov's case, however, has not been directly linked to Gershkovich's situation.
In August, Gershkovich, RFE/RL journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan were released from Russian custody and returned to the United States as part of a major prisoner swap between Russia and the West.
Judge Mineyev, known for handling high-profile cases, also sentenced U.S.-Russian citizen Ksenia Karelina in August to 12 years in prison on a treason charge. Karelina was accused of transferring $50 to a Ukrainian foundation, allegedly to support Ukraine's armed forces.
The Federal Security Service (FSB) claimed this act financed Ukraine's military operations against invading Russian troops.
Mukhametov's conviction follows a broader trend in Russia, where high treason charges have led to numerous lengthy prison sentences in 2024. In the first half of this year alone, 52 individuals were sentenced for treason, a significant rise compared to 39 in all of 2023.