Russia has released imprisoned French scientist Laurent Vinatier and exchanged him for Russian basketball player Daniil Kasatkin, who was detained in France and charged with cyber fraud, facing extradition to the US. Both Vinatier and Kasatkin have already returned to their home countries. TASR informs about it based on the reports of AFP and Reuters agencies.
- Russia released French scientist Vinatier in exchange for Kasatkin.
- Kasatkin was accused in France of cyber fraud for the US.
- Vinatier was convicted in Russia for not registering as a foreign agent.
Vinatier was arrested in June 2024 and sentenced to three years in prison for failing to register as a foreign agent, a term used in Russia to describe critics of President Vladimir Putin and Kremlin policies.
Accusations against Vinatier
New charges of espionage were subsequently brought against the 49-year-old Vinatier, for which he could have received another 20 years. The French government called these accusations baseless.
Daniil Kasatkin was detained on June 21, 2025 at the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, where he arrived with his fiancée. This happened at the request of the USA, which accused him of participating in blackmail.
Kasatkin and the ransomware allegations
According to US authorities, 26-year-old Kasatkin was a member of a hacking group that used ransomware to extort about 900 companies, including two federal agencies, in 2020-22.
Ransomware is a type of malware that locks up a computer system or encrypts data stored on a disk and demands a ransom from the victim to regain access.
Investigators say Kasatkin participated in ransom negotiations on behalf of the hackers. The athlete rejected these accusations. His lawyer claimed he was “not very computer literate”.
French court and exchange
Last October, a French court ordered Kasatkin’s extradition to the United States. However, according to his lawyer Frédéric Belot, French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu did not sign the order for Kasatkin’s extradition, despite the court’s decision.
The Kremlin announced in December that Moscow had made an offer to France regarding Vinatier, an employee of a Swiss conflict settlement NGO, raising hopes he could be released. At the December press conference, the French journalist asked Vladimir Putin directly about Vinatier’s case, who replied that he would look into it.
