The adviser to the head of Roscosmos, Ivan Safronov, who is currently in the Lefortovo pre-trial detention center in connection with the high treason case, was tested for coronavirus and both tested negative. This was announced on Friday, July 31, by the ombudsman for human rights in Russia, Tatyana Moskalkova.
“Yesterday I talked with the head of the Lefortovo pre-trial detention center, he said that Ivan Safronov had been tested two times, both tested negative for coronavirus,” Moskalkova said in a conversation with Interfax.
She stressed that Safronov feels fine and has already been returned or will soon be transferred to a regular cell.
POC members visited Lefortovo on July 27 and found out that Safronov had a sore throat. After that, according to the instructions, he was immediately tested for coronavirus. Three days later, the first test came back negative.
Safronov was detained on July 7 in Moscow. According to the investigation, he had been recruited by the Czech special services since 2012, and in 2017 he was allegedly given an assignment and transmitted to the Czech Republic data on military cooperation between Russia and the Middle East.
The FSB opened a criminal case under Art. 275 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“High treason”). Safronov did not admit his guilt and refused to deal with the investigation. The Lefortovo court in Moscow arrested Safronov until September 6.
Ivan Safronov previously worked as a journalist for Kommersant and Vedomosti. His appointment as an advisor to the head of the state corporation “Roscosmos” was announced in May.