The French researcher Laurent Vinatier, who is serving a three -year sentence in a Russian prison, is now the subject of a spy investigation, according to court documents made public on Wednesday, suggesting an extension of his sentence.
According to a document consulted by AFP, Mr. Vinatier was summoned to a new hearing, this time for espionage, a charging chief of a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
“A hearing was set for August 25, 2025 at 2:30 p.m.,” said the document. Laurent Vinatier, who worked for a Swiss mediation NGO in conflicts, is part of a group of Westerners arrested in Russia while diplomatic tensions intensified around Ukraine.
Paris demanded from Moscow the release of its national, accusing Russia of taking Westerners hostage. He was found guilty of having collected information on the Russian army and of having violated the law on “foreign agents” because he had not registered as such.
Mr. Vinatier, who worked as an advisor to the center for humanitarian dialogue, based in Geneva, is a experienced researcher on Russia and other post-Soviet countries.
He declared before the court that in his work, he had always endeavored to “present the interests of Russia in international relations”.
Posted on August 20 at 10:53 p.m. AFP
