French citizen arrested in Moscow on charges of collecting military data

MOSCOW — Russia’s main state criminal investigation agency announced Thursday the arrest of a French citizen accused of collecting information on military matters, a move that comes as relations between Russia and France have become increasingly strained since the fighting in Ukraine.

The arrest was announced just as France was hosting world leaders at the 80th anniversary of D-Day Thursday. Russia was not invited.

Russia’s Investigative Committee said the suspect, whom it did not identify, is accused of failing to register with authorities as a foreign agent while collecting “information on military and military-technical activities of the Russian Federation.” He added that the information could be used to the detriment of the country’s security.

Russian state news agency Tass identified the arrested French citizen as Laurent Vinatier, an employee of the Center for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD), a Geneva-based non-governmental organization.

HD confirmed Vinatier’s arrest in a statement sent to The Associated Press.

“We are aware that Laurent Vinatier, advisor to the Center for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD), has been detained in Russia,” he said. “We are working to obtain more details of the circumstances and secure Laurent’s release.”

There was no immediate comment from French authorities.

Vinatier’s LinkedIn page, which describes him as a “conversationalist,” says he has worked for the center for more than a decade and indicates that over the years he has focused primarily on the former Soviet republics, Turkey and the East. Half.

Russia’s Investigative Committee released a video showing officers detaining the suspect in a cafe and taking him to the committee’s offices in Moscow for questioning. The charges carry a penalty of up to five years in prison.

The arrest comes during a strain in Russian-French relations that followed French President Emmanuel Macron’s remarks on the possibility of deploying the country’s troops in Ukraine.

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

The charges against the French citizen are based on a recently passed law that requires anyone who collects information on military matters to register with authorities as a foreign agent.

Human rights activists have criticized the law and other recently passed legislation as part of a multifaceted Kremlin crackdown on independent media and political activists aimed at silencing criticism of its actions in Ukraine.

Arrests on charges of espionage and collection of sensitive data have become increasingly frequent in Russia since it sent troops to Ukraine in February 2022.

Recent high-profile arrests include a Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich arrested on espionage charges in March 2023, and Russian-American journalist Alsou Kurmasheva, who was detained in October 2023 for failing to register as a “foreign agent.”

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Associated Press writer Jamey Keaten in Geneva contributed to this report.