A French academic, Laurent Vinatier, has been released from a Russian prison and returned to France following a prisoner exchange between Moscow and Paris, officials from both countries confirmed on Thursday.
Vinatier, who had been serving a three-year sentence in Russia for breaching the country’s foreign agent laws, was freed in exchange for Daniil Kasatkin, a Russian basketball player detained in France and wanted by the United States over alleged ransomware-related offences.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced the development on social media, expressing relief over Vinatier’s release. “Our compatriot Laurent Vinatier is free and back in France. I share the relief felt by his family and loved ones,” Macron wrote, while also thanking French diplomatic officials for their efforts.
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said Vinatier, 49, had been pardoned by President Vladimir Putin before the exchange. Putin had earlier pledged to review the case after it was raised by a French journalist during his annual press conference last month.
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Vinatier was arrested in June 2024 at a restaurant in Moscow and was later convicted in October for failing to comply with laws requiring individuals designated as “foreign agents” to register with Russian authorities. While in detention, he was also subjected to an additional espionage investigation and was expected to face another trial in the coming months.
The FSB alleged that Vinatier had acted on instructions from Swiss intelligence to gather sensitive political and military information, including details relating to combat and training plans. However, the agency said the espionage case was dropped due to what it described as his “active repentance”.
At the time of his arrest, Vinatier was employed by the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, a Swiss-based organisation specialising in conflict mediation. Colleagues and fellow academics maintained that he was a respected researcher engaged in legitimate scholarly work. During his trial, Vinatier apologised for violating Russian law, expressed affection for the country and recited a poem by Russian literary icon Alexander Pushkin.
His release comes against the backdrop of strained relations between France and Russia, largely driven by Moscow’s war in Ukraine. While President Macron has been a vocal supporter of Kyiv, he has also signalled openness to direct dialogue with Russia in pursuit of an end to the conflict.
France had repeatedly described Vinatier’s detention as arbitrary and called for his release, with Macron denying claims that the researcher worked for the French state and accusing Moscow of spreading misinformation.
Kasatkin, the Russian citizen released by France, had been arrested at a Paris airport last June and was sought by U.S. authorities over alleged involvement in cybercrime. He has denied the accusations. His lawyer, Frédéric Belot, said Kasatkin had no computer expertise and had unknowingly used a second-hand device allegedly controlled by cybercriminals.
Belot, who represents both men, confirmed that Kasatkin departed France by plane and arrived in Moscow on Thursday.
