01/08/26 08:20:00
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01/08 08:18 CST Russia frees French political scholar in a prisoner swap for a
basketball player
Russia frees French political scholar in a prisoner swap for a basketball player
By The Associated Press
Laurent Vinatier, a French political scholar serving a three-year sentence in
Russia and facing new charges of espionage, has been freed in a prisoner swap
with France, a Russian security agency said Thursday.
In exchange, Russian basketball player Daniil Kasatkin, jailed in France at the
request of the United States, was released, Russia's Federal Security Service,
or FSB, said in a statement carried by Russian state news agencies.
Vinatier was arrested in Moscow in June 2024. Russian authorities accused him
of failing to register as a "foreign agent" while collecting information about
Russia's "military and military-technical activities" that could be used to the
detriment of national security. A court convicted him and sentenced him to a
three-year prison term.
In August, Russian state news agency Tass reported that Vinatier was also
charged with espionage, citing court records, but giving no details. Those
convicted of espionage in Russia face between 10 and 20 years in prison.
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