Treason case could prompt new appointments at TsNIImash
MOSCOW. July 23 (Interfax) - The treason case involving the Central Research Institute for Machine Building (TsNIImash) could speed up the reshuffles among its top management, an informed source told Interfax.
"What happened has obviously demonstrated the need for change in both the security architecture at the Roscosmos [state corporation's] head institute and for structural reform in general. A possibility is being discussed of senior-level staff reshuffles at the institute," the source said.
Various disciplinary measures, right up to dismissal, could apply to employees who were in charge of organizing scientific research and security, he said.
"Certain decisions could be made also in regard to some of the senior-level employees of the institute. However, they [the decisions] won't be immediate. It will be a while before the internal inquiry yields results and identifies the weak links," the source said.
The Kommersant newspaper said earlier that Federal Security Service (FSB) investigators had searched the TsNIIMash offices and the office of the United Rocket and Space Corporation's director Dmitry Paison last Friday.
"According to Kommersant, the searches are being carried out as part of a criminal inquiry into treason. Currently the FSB is probing a dozen of people from the industry on the subject of their collaboration with western intelligence agencies; according to Kommersant, security officers established that the latter have become aware of the results of Russia's latest work in the field of hypersonic developments classified as 'Top Secret'," the paper said.
However, a source told Interfax that Paison was being treated as a witness in the case. The prime suspect is a TsNIImash employee, Viktor Kudryavtsev. A Roscosmos spokesperson confirmed his arrest.