moscow

Dozens of prominent Russian scientists have written to the Federal Security Service in support of their colleagues Vladimir Borodin and Mikail Galaktionov, of the Institute of Acoustics in Moscow, who could be accused of passing state secrets to a foreign company. The scientists claim the information had already been published.

Security service officers searched the institute laboratory headed by Borodin and found scientific reports prepared for the US Lockheed Sanders Corporation that had not been authorized by the institute. Nikolai Dubrovsky, the institute's director, launched an inquiry that concluded that the reports should not have been passed to the company.

But Borodin, who was not invited to participate in the inquiry, says that details of his research on which the reports were based had been published in the institute's proceedings in 1995.

The Institute of Acoustics used to be one of the most prosperous research centres in Russia, generously financed by the military. But in 1994 it suddenly found itself on the verge of poverty. Borodin tried to save his department by entering a contest announced by Lockheed Sanders for Russian scientists. They were invited to collaborate in developing a system to protect oil derricks in shallow waters from damage by submarines.

Dubrovsky prohibited Borodin's lab from taking part in the contest, but Borodin and Galaktionov decided to enter as private individuals. They won the competition and started the research. Later, when they needed money for experiments but could not guarantee successful results, Lockheed terminated the contract.

Dubrovsky has not explained why the work is considered secret. But A. Luchinin, a specialist in hydro-acoustic protection systems who is not connected with the acoustics institute, told the inquiry that the work does not contain secrets. The same conclusion was reached at a seminar held by the Russian Academy of Sciences last year.

Borodin says: “The worst thing that could happen is that Galaktionov will leave science. He is now having to work for a commercial firm. Galaktionov's institute salary is 255 rubles (US$42) a month, but he needs to pay for expensive medical treatment for his child, who underwent a complex operation in France when Galaktionov worked there.”

The operation was done free of charge after his French colleagues appealed to the then President François Mitterrand. “But now Galaktionov is in Russia, where the authorities are concerned about keeping secrets, not people,” says Borodin.