French citizen accused of unlawfully collecting military information in Russia denied bail

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A Russian court on Wednesday ordered a French citizen arrested in Russia to remain in custody ahead of his trial on charges of unlawfully collecting information on military issues.

Laurent Vinatier was arrested in the Russian capital in June as tensions flared between Moscow and Paris following French President Emmanuel Macron’s comments about the possibility of deploying French troops in Ukraine.

Russian authorities accused Vinatier of failing to register as a “foreign agent” while collecting information about Russia’s “military and military-technical activities” which could be used to the detriment of the country’s security. Under Russian law, the offense is punishable by up to five years in prison.

On Wednesday, Moscow's Zamoskvoretsky District Court ordered Vinatier to remain in custody until Sept. 5 pending the probe into his action, rejecting his plea to be released on bail or placed under house arrest.

Vinatier is an adviser with the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, a Geneva-based nongovernmental organization. The NGO said in June it was doing “everything possible to assist" him.

The charges against Vinatier stem from a recently adopted law that requires anyone who collects information on military issues to register with authorities as a foreign agent.

Human rights activists have criticized the law and other recent legislation as part of a multi-pronged Kremlin crackdown on independent media and political activists intended to stifle criticism of its actions in Ukraine.

Arrests on charges of spying and collecting sensitive data have become increasingly frequent in Russia since it sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022.