As today’s Court session was about to begin, the expert witnesses, expected to be heard Thursday, turned up. Again we are slightly surprised by a change in the trial’s schedule.

The two witnesses were members of the various expert commissions that evaluated whether the Northern Fleet report contained state secrets. Vyacheslav Bakanov is a technical expert from the Russian Navy head quarters and involved with the assessments of the report’s chapter 8.2 on submarine accidents. Mr. Romanov is an administrator at Department 8 of the Ministry of Defence, specialised in the art of classifying information.

Chief defender Yury Schmidt, who had to leave Court early yesterday, was in good shape today. The defence has prepared for the whole week in advance, and took the change of schedule in good stride.