Russia arrests French researcher suspected of intelligence collection | Political news

The Center for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD) confirms that Laurent Vinatier, 47, was arrested in Moscow and claims to be working for his release.

Russia has arrested a French citizen working for a Geneva-based conflict mediation organization, accusing him of collecting information about the military and failing to register as a “foreign agent.”

The Russian State Investigative Committee said the man had been suspected for several years of “deliberately collecting information in the field of military and military-technical activities of the Russian Federation”, which could be used against the security of the State.

The commission, which investigates major crimes, released a short video showing a man in jeans and a black T-shirt approached by masked police officers on the terrace of a restaurant in central Moscow before being taken into a police van. police.

Although she did not identify the man and blurred his face in the video, the official TASS news agency identified him as Laurent Vinatier.

The Center for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD), a nonprofit organization, said it was aware that Vinatier, 47, who worked for the group as an adviser on Russia and Eurasia, had been arrested and was trying to secure his release.

“We are working to obtain more details on the circumstances and obtain the release of Laurent,” the group said in a statement.

French President Emmanuel Macron, meanwhile, denied that Vinatier was working for the French state and said his arrest was part of a disinformation campaign led by Moscow.

Under Russian laws used to suppress criticism of the Kremlin, anyone receiving foreign support or being under “foreign influence” must register as a “foreign agent.” HD was founded by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and works to resolve and arbitrate armed conflicts around the world.

Arrests for espionage and sensitive data collection have become increasingly common in Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was arrested last year on suspicion of trying to obtain military secrets and charged with espionage, which carries a sentence of up to 20 years from prison. He is currently in custody awaiting trial. The United States has designated him “wrongfully detained” and is calling for his release.

Russian-American journalist Alsou Kurmasheva was arrested last October and is awaiting trial on charges including failure to register as a “foreign agent”. She, too, is being held while awaiting trial.

According to Vinatier's LinkedIn page, he has been an advisor to the Eurasia/Russia program at HD since March 2014.

He completed his doctorate on the Chechen diaspora and taught international relations and political economy at various universities in France and Europe, and wrote several books and book chapters on Russia, the Caucasus and Central Asia.

Vinatier's arrest was announced just as France hosted numerous Western leaders on Thursday for events marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day. Russia was not invited following its invasion of Ukraine.

It also comes amid tensions in relations between Moscow and Paris after Macron spoke about the conditions under which France could be ready to deploy soldiers to Ukraine, and kyiv said France had agreed to send instructors military in the country.

Moscow has warned that French soldiers would be legitimate targets for Russia if they were sent to Ukraine.