MOSCOW. Dec 18 (Interfax) - The espionage charges brought against journalist Ivan Safronov concern a relatively long period of his life, including the period of his work as an aide to Roscosmos CEO Dmitry Rogozin, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
"I didn't say that he's been accused of working as an aide. I said that some episodes of his activities which the investigation considers unlawful are related not to his work as a journalist at Kommersant, but to quite a lengthy period of his life, including the time he was working as an aide to Rogozin," Putin told journalists on Thursday.
Putin was asked what Safronov is charged with.
"With passing on secret information to representatives of the special services of Western countries. This is a direct indictment," Putin replied.
Putin admitted that he was not aware of all the details of the case.
"I'm not really aware. Let the investigators look into this calmly," he said.
Moscow's Lefortovo District Court ruled on November 30 to extend Safronov's custody term until at least March 7, 2021.
Safronov, who is an advisor to the head of Roscosmos, is facing charges of treason. He was detained on July 7 and remanded in custody.
According to his defense lawyers, the investigators believe that Safronov, who was allegedly recruited by a Czech special service in 2012, provided its official in 2017 with secret information on the supplies of weapons and the actions of the Russian Armed Forces in the countries of Africa and the Middle East. Investigators insist that the end recipient of this secret information was the United States.
Safronov pleaded not guilty and said his criminal case was related to his journalistic work. Before his job at Roscosmos, Safronov worked as a journalist for the Kommersant and Vedomosti newspapers, specializing, in particular, in defense and space industries.