Russia's Investigative Committee said on July 3 that French citizen Laurent Vinatier, who was arrested in early June, has pleaded guilty to illegally obtaining information about the Russian military. On June 7, a Moscow court sent the 48-year-old expert on Russia, the Caucasus, and Central Asia to pretrial detention until at least August 5 on charges of illegally gathering information about the Russian military and failing to register as a "foreign agent." Vinatier works for a Geneva-based conflict mediation organization. Relations between Russia and France have been strained since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine February 2022.
Russia Says French National Pleads Guilty To Collecting Information On Military
French Citizen Laurent Vinatier was arrested in Moscow in early June.