(Web Desk) - A veteran Russian astronaut has been removed from an upcoming NASA mission after allegedly violating an international arms trafficking law.
Oleg Artemyev is said to have been accused of photographing classified documents and rocket equipment at a SpaceX facility in Hawthorne, California, and then 'smuggling' that information out of the building on his phone in late November.
The 54-year-old was scheduled to be part of the SpaceX Crew-12 mission, led by NASA, heading to the International Space Station (ISS) in early 2026.
He has been replaced by fellow cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, and Russia's official space agency Roscosmos said the change was made because of 'Artemyev's transfer to another job'.
However, other reports from Russia have said the move was made for much more serious reasons, claiming that Artemyev violated the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) by allegedly photographing and leaking the SpaceX materials.
ITAR is a set of US government rules that tightly control the export, sharing, or transmission of sensitive defense-related technologies, information, and items, including spacecraft components and technical blueprints.
Russian investigative outlet The Insider reported that an international probe has been launched into Artemyev's actions.
At the moment, there are no claims that the alleged incident took place in order to harm the US. However, the case would amount to espionage if it is proven that Artemyev collected the photos with the intent to deliver them to a foreign government to gain an advantage over the US.
The Daily Mail has reached out to NASA and SpaceX for comment regarding the allegations against Artemyev.
Russian media also reported that the cosmonaut has already been 'booted out of America' as space and national security officials investigate the alleged incident.
Space industry analyst Georgy Trishkin revealed on his Telegram channel that the veteran cosmonaut committed a 'serious violation' of the ITAR laws, which can carry both civil and criminal punishments if investigators were to determine he is guilty.
He added that the change was made with no official announcement by NASA or SpaceX, noting that the allegations seem credible since Artemyev was removed less than three months before the Crew-12 mission.