Frenchman arrested in Russia admits to collecting military information, Russian security services say

Arrested and placed in pre-trial detention since June 7, Laurent Vinatier, a collaborator of the Swiss NGO Center for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD), is accused by the Russian authorities of having collected military information. Russian investigators accuse him of not having registered as a “foreign agent”. The 47-year-old Frenchman admitted his guilt during an interrogation, the Russian Security Service (FSB) stated on Wednesday July 3.

“During his visits to Moscow, Laurent Vinatier established numerous contacts with representatives of expert and scientific circles (political scientists, sociologists, economists, military experts), as well as with civil servants.”the FSB said in a statement on Wednesday. “By communicating with these people, the Frenchman collected, in particular, military and military-technical information that could be used against the security of the Russian Federation by foreign special services.“.

For the moment, the only charge brought against Laurent Vinatier is not having registered as “foreign agent” inasmuch as “a person who deliberately collected information on the military and military-technical activities of the Russian Federation”. The “foreign agent” legislation is widely used by Russian authorities to suppress or monitor their critics. The offense is punishable by up to five years in prison. If the charges are ever reclassified as “spying”the Frenchman will face much harsher sentences, up to 20 years in prison.