The FSB charged treason (Article 275 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) with the scientist-surveyor Valery Kachin. He was transferred from Birobidzhan to Moscow for investigative actions. The materials of the case are classified.
The Birobidzhan District Court of the Jewish Autonomous Region decided to take the scientist into custody. He was transferred to the Lefortovo pre-trial detention center in the capital, law enforcement officials told TASS. The Lefortovsky Court of Moscow said that the investigation is asking to extend the arrest of the scientist until March 12. The meeting is scheduled for today, December 7th.
Valery Kachin graduated from Sholom Aleichem PSU in 2014 with a degree in Information Systems and Technologies. Until 2018, he worked in the mayor’s office of Birobidzhan. On her website (.pdf) it is said that he served as the chief specialist-expert of the department of property relations and of the committee for the management of municipal property of the city hall. After that, he worked as a junior researcher in the Bastak reserve.
Telegram channel “Beware the News” reports that the scientist was detained back in September. According to the channel, Mr. Kachin supported Alexei Navalny and opposed the military operation on the territory of Ukraine.