Russia releases French researcher in prisoner exchange for Russian US wanted extradited

Russia has released French researcher Laurent Vinatier in a prisoner exchange for Russian basketball player Daniil Kasatkin, according to state media. Vinatier had been imprisoned since June 2024 for failing to register as a "foreign agent." He faced new allegations of espionage, which France deemed baseless.

Kasatkin, a basketball player, was arrested in France at the request of the U.S. for alleged cyber crimes, pending extradition. U.S. believe he negotiated payoffs for a ransomware ring that hacked around 900 companies and two federal government entities in the U.S., demanding money to end their attacks.

Kasatkin denies the crimes with Politico stating that his lawyer, said he was a “collateral victim of that crime" due to buying a second-hand computer with malware.

Kasatkin has now been exchanged for Vinatier and sent back to Russia.