Prominent Russian Academic and Former Kremlin Adviser Detained on Treason Charges Amid Crackdown on Academia

A well-known Russian scholar and ex-advisor to the Kremlin has been detained on accusations of high treason, marking the latest in a series of arrests involving academic figures since Russia tightened its grip on the educational sector due to wartime restrictions.

Vadim Saltykovsky, aged 60, a professor at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics and the deputy director at the State University of Management, was apprehended on Tuesday, as reported by Russian media sources.

Moscow’s Lefortovo District Court authorized his pre-trial detention on Monday, with the ruling set to take effect on August 1.

The specific nature of the allegations has not been made public, as treason cases in Russia are handled in secrecy. The charges could result in a life sentence.

Saltykovsky’s profile has been removed from the Plekhanov University website, though archived pages reveal his past positions, including his role as the deputy head of the Department for International Educational Cooperation.

He was instructing a course on global economics and international relations at Plekhanov at least until the spring semester of 2025, according to exiled outlet Novaya Gazeta Europe, and his internal teaching rating was noted to be 4.9 out of 5.

Beyond his academic roles, Saltykovsky leads the Foreign Citizens Testing Center at Moscow State Linguistic University and is the deputy chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s committee focused on economic collaboration with Asia and Oceania.

In this last role, he participated in a meeting in March 2025 between the Kursk Chamber of Commerce and North Korean officials in Pyongyang.

The investigative outlet IStories revealed, based on leaked internal documents, that Saltykovsky had been involved in the governmental framework during the early years of Putin’s administration, serving as the chief advisor to the presidential administration on relations with the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Azerbaijan in the early 2000s.

According to the BBC Russian service, Saltykovsky has also published research on China and worked as a political consultant at the Nikkolo M agency, where he provided guidance to the presidential administration on managing foreign election processes and political lobbying.

His arrest adds to the increasing list of scholars, scientists, and former officials facing charges of treason or espionage since Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.