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Bank accounts of Russia’s high treason suspect Safronov blocked - source

Police searches took place at houses of Safronov’s mother and sister
An advisor to the head of Russia’s space agency Roscosmos Ivan Safronov Valery Sharufulin/TASS
An advisor to the head of Russia’s space agency Roscosmos Ivan Safronov
© Valery Sharufulin/TASS

MOSCOW, July 10. /TASS/. Bank accounts of Ivan Safronov, a former journalist and an advisor to the head of Russia’s space agency Roscosmos, as well as bank accounts of his relatives, have been blocked, a source close to the investigation told TASS.

"All bank accounts of Safronov, as well as of his mother, his sister and her husband, have been blocked," the source said adding that police searches took place at houses of Safronov’s mother and sister.

"They [Safronov’s relatives] were not detained and have no procedural status," according to the source.

TASS has no official confirmation to this information from investigative bodies.

Ivan Safronov, an advisor to the Roscosmos chief, was detained by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) on July 7 on charges of high treason. The FSB claims that Safronov was recruited by the Czech intelligence in 2012 and in 2017 he provided the Czech secret agency with information about Russian arms supplies to the Middle East and Africa. The provided data was later passed on to the United States, according to the investigation.

Moscow’s Lefortovo Court ordered to put him in custody until September 6. Safronov faces up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.