Head of Roscosmos Research Center Paison Hands in Application for Dismissal

Dmitry Paison, the director of Russia's Central Research Institute of Machine Building (TsNIIMash), which is a rocket and spacecraft scientific center at the Roscosmos space corporation, has filed an application for dismissal, Roscosmos' press service head Vladimir Ustimenko told Sputnik.

"Yes. He will leave the post starting from August," Ustimenko said, adding that he did not have any information about the center's future or whether it would be dissolved.

On Friday, the newspaper Kommersant reported that Federal Security Service (FSB) officers had carried out searches in the offices of a number of TsNIIMash - a rocket and spacecraft scientific center at Roscosmos - employees as part of an investigation into a high treason case. According to the media outlet, "dozens of people" are suspected of working for foreign intelligence and "leaking" top secret designs in the area of hypersonic devices.

According to sources, Paison had no access to secret information and is seen by investigators as a person who "might have known about the situation."

Ustimenko, however, stated that the corporation has not received any notification yet about the planned questioning of its acting or former top managers within the investigation into the treason case.

"Everything is under the jurisdiction of the investigation department [of the Federal Security Service] and it decides whom to talk to. We have not received such information. If they need to talk to former or acting leadership, we will provide them with the maximum support," the press service head told Sputnik.

A source, familiar with the investigation, told Sputnik on Friday that employees of TsNIIMash, a rocket and spacecraft scientific center at Roscosmos, are the main suspects in the high treason case.

Roscosmos' head Dmitry Rogozin has been informed about the searches at TsNIIMash and asked staff to fully cooperate with the investigators, the press service told Sputnik on Friday.

Source: Sputnik News

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