Veteran Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev has been removed from an upcoming NASA - SpaceX mission following explosive allegations of violating a stringent US arms-trafficking law. According to reports, Artemyev allegedly photographed classified documents and sensitive rocket hardware inside SpaceX's high-security Hawthorne facility in California, before slipping the images out of the building on his personal phone in late November.

Artemyev was originally slated to join NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 mission bound for the International Space Station (ISS) in early 2026. But in a sudden reshuffle, he was replaced by fellow cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. Roscosmos attempted to downplay the switch, attributing it to“Artemyev's transfer to another job.”

However, reports from Russia alleged that Artemyev breached the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) - a powerful set of US controls governing the sharing, export, and handling of defence-related technologies and restricted spacecraft blueprints.

Russian investigative outlet 'The Insider' claims an international probe has already been launched into his actions. While no evidence currently suggests the alleged breach was intended to harm the United States, the accusations would escalate to espionage if investigators determine the material was collected for a foreign government's strategic benefit.

Russian media further alleges that Artemyev has already been“booted out of America” as US space and national security agencies dig deeper into the suspicious incident.

Space industry analyst Georgy Trishkin intensifed the firestorm, saying on his Telegram channel that the cosmonaut committed a“serious violation” of ITAR laws - offenses that can carry both civil and severe criminal penalties. He pointed out the discreet removal of Artemyev mere weeks before the Crew-12 mission as a strong indicator of the allegations' credibility.

"My contacts confirm that a violation occurred and an interdepartmental investigation has been launched," Trishkin told The Insider. "It's very difficult to imagine a situation in which an experienced cosmonaut could inadvertently commit such a gross violation."

Trishkin also suggested a deliberate attempt by NASA to keep the scandal from erupting into the public sphere.

Artemyev's space journey

Artemyev, one of Russia's most seasoned space travellers, previously journeyed to the ISS in 2014, 2018, and 2022, accumulating 560 days in orbit and completing eight spacewalks. The 2026 launch would have marked his first mission aboard the SpaceX Dragon Capsule.

Under US law, ITAR - established in 1976 to safeguard national security - strictly prohibits foreign nationals from accessing, photographing, or exporting sensitive defence technologies without explicit government authorization. If Artemyev indeed left SpaceX with restricted images on his device, the act could constitute an unlawful“export” of classified information.

If proven, ITAR violations can cost over $1 million per breach, and in cases deemed espionage, carry up to 20 years in prison. Even non-criminal violations can result in lifetime bans from US government contracts, effectively ending a cosmonaut's eligibility for NASA-linked missions.

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