Russian court extends arrest of Frenchman until February 21

A Russian court extended the detention of a French researcher until Feb. 21 on Tuesday, at a hearing over accusations he collected military information without registering as a foreign agent, Russia's RIA news agency reported.

Independent news outlet Mediazona quoted Laurent Vinatier's lawyer as saying before the start of the hearing that the Frenchman had admitted his guilt and that the defense was therefore asking the court to proceed rapidly to a verdict.

France says Vinatier has been "arbitrarily detained" by Russia and has called for his immediate release.

Vinatier, an expert on the former Soviet Union with long experience of working in Russia, was arrested at a central Moscow restaurant in June by masked officers from the FSB security service, the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB.

In July, the FSB said he had pleaded guilty to the charge against him, which carries a sentence of up to five years.

Russia says relations with France have hit a low point since French authorities placed the Russian founder of the Telegram messaging app, Pavel Durov, under formal investigation last week in connection with the use of the app for crimes such as fraud, money laundering and child pornography. Durov's lawyer has called the proceedings against him absurd.


Reuters