Employee Leaking Bulava Secrets to Spend 8 Years in Jail

18.05.2012 Sverdlovsk regional court on May 18 adjudged an employee of defense enterprise Alexander Gniteyev who was accused of disclosure of secret information about Bulava missile. Gniteyev was found guilty of "treason against the state by way of espionage" with further 8 years of close confinement, reports ITAR-TASS.

According to RIA Novosti, Gniteyev was tried for "transferring state secret information about newest weapons to foreign intelligence service". Except for imprisonment, Gniteyev was fined for RUR 100 000.

As was earlier reported, Gniteyev worked in a center designing control systems for strategic missiles. According to unofficial information reported by Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper, the question is Avtomatika Research and Production Association located in Yekaterinburg. Reportedly, the employee handed over copied drawings of a missile's part to foreigners and got $50 000 for that.

According to Interfax, the Gniteyev's case was controlled by General Procuracy, and the trial was held behind closed doors. The sentence has not taken effect yet and can be appealed.

Solid-propellant ballistic missile Bulava is designed to be carried by Borei-class nuclear-powered submarines. Bulava is expected to join Russian Navy in the fall of 2012 and reinforce maritime component of Russia's nuclear triad.