Notable Economics Professor Faces Two-Month Pre-Trial Detention on Treason Charges in Moscow Court

A Moscow court decided on Wednesday to place a well-known economics professor and former Kremlin advisor in pre-trial detention for two months after his arrest on treason charges.

Vadim Saltykovsky, aged 60, was taken into custody by police last week, adding to the increasing number of academics, researchers, and ex-officials facing similar charges of treason or espionage since Russia’s extensive invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The Lefortovo District Court in Moscow ordered that Saltykovsky remain in detention until September 29. The details of the allegations against him have not been disclosed, and treason cases in Russia are generally conducted in secrecy.

In Russia, treason can result in a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

Investigative news sources, referring to leaked documents, have reported that Saltykovsky was the chief Kremlin advisor on relations with post-Soviet countries in the early 2000s.

Before his detention, he was the deputy director at the State University of Management and was also a professor at the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics; however, his profile has since been removed from the institution’s website.

Beyond academia, Saltykovsky served as the deputy chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s committee focused on economic partnerships with Asia and Oceania. In that capacity, he was involved in a meeting in Pyongyang in March 2025 with officials from North Korea and the Kursk Chamber of Commerce.

According to the BBC’s Russian service, Saltykovsky has authored academic studies concerning China and previously worked as a political consultant at Nikkolo M, where he advised the Kremlin on international electoral processes and lobbying strategies.