Russia has released French researcher Laurent Vinatier as part of a prisoner exchange after he spent more than a year behind bars for failing to register as a so-called “foreign agent.”
Vinatier’s release comes in exchange for Russian basketball player Daniil Kasatkin, who has been held in France since last June at the request of the United States over a hacking-related charge.
The swap involving Vinatier, 49, and Kasatkin, 26, is the latest in a series of prisoner exchanges between Russia and Western countries. In August 2024, the two sides carried out the largest such deal since the Cold War, freeing 24 people.
Russia’s state-run news agency RIA reported that Vinatier was pardoned by President Vladimir Putin.
Ties between Moscow and Western nations have been strained for years, especially since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Two weeks ago, the Kremlin confirmed it was in contact with France over Vinatier’s case. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia had made an unspecified “offer” to Paris, adding that the decision was now up to France.
After landing in Paris, Vinatier was reunited with his parents and welcomed by France’s foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, at the foreign ministry.
French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X that “our compatriot” had returned home, adding: “I share the relief felt by his family and loved ones.”
Vinatier worked for a Switzerland-based conflict mediation non-profit and was arrested while collecting what Russian prosecutors claimed was information about the country’s military.
Under Russian law, anyone receiving foreign support or deemed to be under foreign influence must register as a “foreign agent.”
At his court hearing, Vinatier apologised and pleaded guilty, saying he did not know he was required to register. He was sentenced to three years in prison at the age of 48.
France strongly criticised the verdict, calling it “extremely harsh” and demanding his immediate release.
Kasatkin, meanwhile, was accused by US authorities of negotiating payments for a ransomware group that allegedly hacked around 900 companies. The basketball player has denied the allegations.
Russia has frequently used detained foreign nationals as leverage to secure the release of its own citizens held abroad.
During the major prisoner exchange in August 2024, Russia freed US journalist Evan Gershkovich, former US Marine Paul Whelan, and more than a dozen others in return for several Russian spies detained across Western countries.
