Russian Cosmonaut Expelled Over ITAR Violation Allegations

Veteran Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev, 54, has been removed from the planned SpaceX Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) in early 2026. The alleged reason for his removal is a violation of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) after reportedly photographing classified documents and rocket equipment at a SpaceX facility in California. His replacement, Andrey Fedyaev, was announced by Roscosmos with a stated reason of a transfer to another job.

However, reports suggest a more serious breach of ITAR, which tightly controls the export of defense-related technologies. Artemyev allegedly photographed sensitive SpaceX materials and transmitted them on his phone, an act that could be considered espionage if done with intent to benefit a foreign government. An international investigation is reportedly underway, and Artemyev has allegedly been expelled from the United States.