Russia Detains 70-Year-Old Ukrainian Scientist W. "Treason" Accusations: His Crime - Opposing More Krill Fishing
A diplomatic row has erupted over the “illegal” detention of one of Ukraine’s scientists, who has been accused by the Kremlin of undermining Russia’s industrial trawling for krill in Antarctica. Leonid Pshenichnov, 70, a Ukrainian biologist who is an expert on Antarctica, has a decades-long record of scientific research and contributions to conservation, including support for marine protected areas in the region.
He was preparing to travel to Australia to attend a conference on protecting Antarctic marine life when he was arrested in the Russian-occupied territory of Crimea. He has since been accused by the Russians of high treason. The Guardian has seen a document said to be the one provided by the Russian authorities to Pshenichnov’s lawyers, outlining the allegations against him. A translation of the document describes the scientist as a “citizen of the Russian Federation” who “defected to the enemy’s side” by assisting Ukraine’s delegation to the Antarctic conference, which has been organised by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) in Hobart, Tasmania.
It accuses Pshenichnov of using his research to undermine Russia’s fishing of krill in Antarctica by encouraging, via a Ukrainian proposal, the restriction of krill harvesting. Such proposals would harm the economic interests of Russia, the arrest document said.
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Pschenichnov has conducted research for CCAMLR, part of the Antarctic treaty system, since 1983 and has participated in its activities as a Ukrainian scientist since 1994.
Myroshnychenko told the Guardian: “He’s a scientist, not an official, not a politician. These are trumped-up charges, his detention is groundless.” The charges of high treason against Pschenichnov were directly related to his scientific contributions at CCAMLR, the ambassador said. Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, raised the maximum sentence for treason from 20 years to life imprisonment in 2023. “He was forced to take up a Russian passport while staying with family in temporarily occupied Crimea and has been arbitrarily charged with ‘threatening the security of the Russian Federation’,” said Myroshnychenko.
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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/26/russia-ukrainian-biologist-leonid-pshenichnov-arrest-treason-antarctic-krill-overfishing