A French man has been detained in Moscow on suspicion of collecting information related to the activities of Russia's armed forces, the Russian Investigative Committee said on June 6.
The Investigative Committee said he "carried out targeted collection of information in the field of military and military-technical activities of the Russian Federation," which, according to Russian law, is considered a crime, although less serious than espionage.
The Investigative Committee also said the detainee should have submitted documents to include himself in the register of "foreign agents" but did not do so.
It said the man repeatedly visited Russia, including Moscow, where he held meetings with Russian citizens.
The data he collected can "be used against the security of the state,” the committee said, adding that the man detained will be charged and any pretrial restrictions will be decided in the near future.
The Investigative Committee didn't identify the man, but TASS gave his name as Laurent Vinatier, an employee of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD), a Geneva-based NGO.
HD confirmed Vinatier's detention in a statement released to the Associated Press.
"We are aware that Laurent Vinatier, an adviser at the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD), has been detained in Russia," the statement said. "We are working to get more details of the circumstances and to secure Laurent’s release."
REN-TV also identified Vinatier as the man who was detained, citing sources. It gave his age as 48.
The arrest was announced just as France hosted world leaders on the 80th anniversary of D-Day. Russia wasn't invited to the ceremony.
French President Emmanuel Macron told French television that the French citizen was "in no way...working for France" and that he "works for a Swiss NGO founded by former UN chief Kofi Annan."
The arrest comes after Macron raised the possibility of deploying French troops in Ukraine. Moscow has warned that if France takes such a step, its soldiers would be legitimate targets.