The accused of Gosizman, scientist Valery Mitko died under house arrest

The St. Petersburg scientist Valery Mitko died, accused of treason. This was announced by the human rights project "First Department", whose lawyers defended Mitko.

“Today, at the age of 81, our client Valery Mitko died, president of the Arctic Academy of Sciences, one of the leading experts in hydroacoustics in the country,” the report said. It is noted that recently a scientist has increasingly called an ambulance and sent to the hospital, "he was not able to walk, or to sit, and even more to care for his wife - a lying patient." In 2021, the court forbade him to go out on the walks recommended by the doctors after the fourth heart attack.

Mitko was charged with state treason. The scientist categorically denied guilt. He was detained and placed under house arrest in February 2020. According to investigators, Mitko handed over the materials containing GOSTain, the intelligence services of China during his trip to the country. According to the FSB, Chinese agents asked Mitko to collect data on methods and methods for detecting submarines, and he agreed to do this for a monetary reward.

The lawyer said that we are talking about a document that was found in the baggage of the scientist when flying to China. He really concerned the characteristics of various submarines, but Mitko claims that he took these data from open sources to use during lectures.

Valery Mitko - was a captain of the 1st rank of reserve. From 1963 to 1994, he served on ships, submarines, in institutions of the Navy. He served as president of the St. Petersburg Arctic Public Academy of Sciences.

From 2016, before the arrest, Mitko taught at the University of Sea in China as an invited professor. He went to China with lectures twice a year.

Mitko died without waiting for the trial on the merits - he was supposed to begin in the winter of 2022.