He was arrested in July 2020 on charges of treason related to allegedly disclosing state secrets.
[3] In February 2023, Ivan Safronov was dismissed from the position of adviser to the Director General of Roscosmos in accordance with the court verdict, under paragraph 4 of part one of Article 83 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation.
[3] Among Safronov's lawyers, a criminal investigation for allegedly revealing secret information was opened against Ivan Pavlov as a suspect, and Pavlov left Russia in 2021; and Dmitri Talantov was arrested for allegedly "discrediting" Russian armed forces.
[3] Early on 5 September, prior to the court hearing, Meduza, TV Rain, Novaya Gazeta Europe, and The Moscow Times called for Safronov to be released, arguing that he was being persecuted for his journalism, not treason.
There were speculations that Safronov senior might have been killed for his critical reporting: the Taganka District prosecutor's office in Moscow initiated a criminal investigation into Safronov's death, and in September 2007, officially ruled his death a suicide.