Prosecutors seek 17-year sentence against former Uralvagonzavod engineer in case with apparent ties to Evan Gershkovich’s reporting
Prosecutors are seeking a hefty fine and a 17-year prison sentence in a treason case now underway in Yekaterinburg against a former Uralvagonzavod engineer. Officials contend that Danil Mukhametov sold sensitive military-technical information to Ukrainian intelligence agents between 2022 and 2023. A verdict is expected next week on Tuesday, November 5.
Earlier this month, the same court sentenced Mukhametov’s wife, Viktoria, to 12 years on the same charges. She is also a former Uralvagonzavod employee and reportedly confessed to selling “certain schematics” to Ukraine for 100,000 rubles (about $1,000).
The case against the Mukhametovs followed the arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in March 2023. Russian officials took Gershkovich into custody in Yekaterinburg after he traveled to Nizhny Tagil, where Uralvagonzavod’s plant is located. Additionally, the judge overseeing Mukhametov’s trial is the same one who sentenced Gershkovich to 16 years for espionage.
