On Friday, a man pleaded guilty to killing Andrey Botikov, a senior researcher at the Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology, who was responsible for developing the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine.
According to state news agency TASS, Botikov was murdered during an argument and the defendant, Alexey Vladimirovich Zmanovsky, fled the scene before being apprehended by law enforcement.
Zmanovsky, who has a history of "serious crimes," could face up to 15 years in prison. The murder is said to be a result of a domestic dispute, according to TASS.
Botikov was among 18 scientists who developed the Sputnik V vaccine in 2020, and Russian President Vladimir Putin honored him with the Order of Merit for the Fatherland award in 2021.
