Researcher Vinatier arrives in France after Russia release

French researcher Laurent Vinatier arrived in France on Thursday following a prisoner exchange involving a Russian basketball player wanted in the United States, the foreign ministry and President Emmanuel Macron said. Vinatier was exchanged for Russian basketball player Daniil Kasatkin who had been held in France.

The Frenchman had been jailed in Russia in June 2024 and was serving a three-year sentence for failing to register as a "foreign agent". The basketball player Kasatkin was arrested last year at a Paris airport at the request of the United States, where he is wanted for having allegedly taken part in a ransomware hacking ring.