Russia detained a French citizen on Thursday and accused him of gathering information about the Russian military and failing to register as a “foreign agent.”
Laurent Vinatier, 47, has been an adviser to the Russia and Eurasia program for the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue for 10 years.
Russia’s state Investigative Committee said that Vinatier was suspected, over a period of several years, to have “purposefully collected information in the field of military and military-technical activities of the Russian Federation.”
“This information, when obtained by foreign sources, can be used against the security of the state. For these purposes, he repeatedly visited the territory of Russia, including the city of Moscow, where he held meetings with citizens of the Russian Federation,” it added.
The Investigative Committee also said Vinatier failed to submit documents needed for “inclusion in the register of foreign agents.”
Under Russian law, anyone who receives foreign support or is under “foreign influence” must register as a foreign agent.
The Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue told The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse in a statement that it was trying to secure Vinatier’s release.
“We are aware that Laurent Vinatier, an advisor at the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, has been detained in Russia. We are working to get more details of the circumstances and to secure Laurent’s release,” the statement said.
The French foreign ministry has not made a comment concerning Vinatier’s arrest.
Vinatier “is one of our citizens working for a Swiss NGO … it was in no way someone who was working for France,” President Emmanuel Macron told French television in an interview Thursday evening. “We will follow this closely and he will receive all consular protection.”
If convicted, Vinatier could face up to five years in prison, a serious charge amid heightened tensions between Moscow and the West because of the conflict in Ukraine.
Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
