Russia orders French researcher accused of spying held for six more months

French researcher Laurent Vinatier during a court hearing in Moscow, Russia, on 31 July 2024. © Yulia Morozova/Reuters

A court in Moscow on Tuesday ordered a French researcher to remain in jail until at least February 2025, on the first day of his trial for unlawfully collecting sensitive data. Laurent Vinatier was arrested in June for gathering information on Russia's military without being registered as a "foreign agent".

In an opening hearing, the judge ruled to extend Vinatier's detention until 21 February.

The court set the next hearing in the case for 16 September, granting Vinatier's request for more time to prepare.

The 48-year-old French national has been charged with collecting information on Russia’s “military and military-technical activities”, according to court officials, and he faces up to five years in prison if convicted.

After he was first arrested, he admitted to the charge of not having registered as a foreign agent, saying he did not know that he was legally required to do so.

He has been held in pre-trial detention since his arrest in June, despite several requests to be placed under house arrest.

'Arbitrarily detained'

Vinatier is a specialist on the former Soviet Union and worked with the Swiss NGO Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD), which helps to mediate conflicts outside of standard diplomatic channels.

He was reportedly working on mediation efforts in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, according to the AFP news agency.

His detention has increased tensions between Moscow and Paris, already strained since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and France's subsequent support of Kyiv.

Arrests on charges of spying and collecting sensitive data have become increasingly frequent in Russia since the start of the war.

The country has previously used foreign agent charges to arrest people before levelling more serious accusations at them.

After the biggest post-Cold War prisoner exchange between Russia and the West in early August, which did not include Vinatier, France called on Moscow to free all people “arbitrarily detained in Russia”.

(with newswires)