High North News

Russian researcher accused of treason

Linn Ophaug
russia amap

The Russian researcher Alexey Dudarev was arrested on January 14th in St. Petersburg, Russia. He is accused of treason and could face life in prison.

Dudarev works as a senior researcher at the Northwestern Scientific Center for Hygiene and Public Health in St. Petersburg. He has published extensive research in both Russian and international journals for several years.

According to First Department, a group of independent Russian human rights lawyers in exile, the indictment is based on Dudarev’s open publications in international journals under the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP), of which he was a co-author. The programme is part of the Arctic Council, in which Russia also participates.

Investigators claim that information from these articles could be useful for Norwegian intelligence. Dudarev denies the charges, and his family says he has never had access to state secrets.

Related content

  • Russia announces new Arctic oil discovery

    Trine Jonassen

    Russian energy major Gazprom Neft has discovered a new oil field on the Yamal Peninsula that is the largest discovered in the region in three decades, according to a company release.

    The new find is located in the Arctic zone of Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Region, home to the world's largest natural gas reserves but also a region with significant oil potential. Drilling and exploration are challenging as the peninsula is almost entirely covered by permafrost.

    The field is part of a large oil and gas cluster in the southern part of the peninsula, according to the company. It was discovered after three years of exploration. Estimated geological reserves are 55 million tons, the company's press release stated.

Powered by Labrador CMS