Russian basketball player detained in France exchanged for Frenchman convicted in Russia
Russian basketball player Daniil Kasatkin was exchanged for Frenchman Laurent Vinatier, who is suspected of espionage, Russia's FSB reported.
Daniil Kasatkin
Daniil Kasatkin, who played for the Moscow basketball club MBA-MAI, was detained on June 21, 2025, at Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport at the request of the United States. He was suspected of participating in a hacker group that carried out attacks using ransomware.
According to American authorities, the network linked to the basketball player hacked about 900 companies, including two US federal agencies. The basketball player himself denied his guilt.
In October, a French court decided to extradite Kasatkin to the United States, however, French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu did not sign the extradition order.
Laurent Vinatier behind bars
Political scientist Laurent Vinatier was detained in Moscow in June 2024 while working for the Swiss Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue. In October of the same year, he was sentenced to three years in a penal colony for failing to comply with 'foreign agent' duties. In August 2025, it became known that a case of espionage had also been opened against the Frenchman.
In December, during the annual live Q&A session, a journalist from French TV channel TF1 asked Vladimir Putin about Vinatier's fate. In response, Putin stated that he was hearing about this case for the first time. Later, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced that Moscow had made a 'proposal' to Paris.
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