A court in Russia's Perm region has convicted photographer Grigory Skvortsov of state treason (Article 275 of the Criminal Code) and sentenced him to 16 years in a maximum-security prison. His defense team confirmed the verdict.
Prosecutors had sought an 18-year prison term for Skvortsov, who maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings. Authorities initially arrested the photographer in Moscow during autumn 2023, formally charging him with treason and ordering pretrial detention in January 2024.
The case centered on allegations that Skvortsov provided American journalist with historian Dmitry Yurkov's book "Soviet 'Secret Bunkers': Urban Special Fortification 1930-1960." However, Skvortsov told the outlet First Department that he only shared accompanying photographs of declassified archival materials, not the actual publication.
Notably, the book remains publicly available, with Russian state publications like Rossiyskaya Gazeta having previously reported on both the book and its declassified contents. The authors examined approximately 2,000 pages of archival material covering Soviet-era underground facilities including "Metro-2," Stalin's bunkers, and government shelters.
Skvortsov, a prominent Perm-based photographer and founder of the industrial collective Jagath, specializes in architectural and industrial photography.