(Moscow) A Moscow court on Friday placed in pre-trial detention the Frenchman Laurent Vinatier, collaborator of a Swiss conflict resolution NGO, arrested the day before and accused of collecting information on the Russian army.
This affair comes at a time when tensions between Moscow and Paris are escalating: Russia is suspected of a series of acts of destabilization and disinformation in France, while France is criticized for its growing support for Ukraine.
The Zamoskvoretsky court in Moscow ordered, at the request of investigators, the detention of Laurent Vinatier, 47, at least until August 5, with a view to a possible trial, AFP journalists noted.
During the hearing on Friday, the only charge cited against him was not having registered as a “foreign agent”, an offense punishable by five years in prison. This legislation is used by Russian authorities to repress or monitor their critics.
During the hearing, Mr. Vinatier, in jeans and a black shirt in the cage reserved for the accused, presented in French, translated by an interpreter, “his apologies for not having registered.” “All the more so since in all my work, I have always tried […] to present, support, explain the interest of Russia,” he added.
His lawyer Alexei Sinitsyn stressed that his client “did not know” that he was obliged to register under this label. He requested, in vain, the placement of Mr. Vinatier –– married and father of four children – under house arrest in Moscow, with his wife.
AFP did not see any representatives of the French embassy at the hearing.
“The propaganda elements that have been given about him do not correspond to reality,” reacted the French president. “And so we call for Russia to clarify all the elements and to release them as quickly as possible,” he added during a press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.
“He deserves all protections,” the French leader added.
Emmanuel Macron confirmed the arrest of this national on Thursday evening.
“The French embassy in Moscow immediately requested that the exercise of consular protection apply under the provisions of the 1963 Vienna Convention,” indicated Christophe Lemoine, deputy spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Foreign Affairs.
“The French Embassy in Moscow and the services of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs in Paris are fully mobilized to provide assistance to our compatriot,” he also underlined.
The Investigative Committee, a powerful Russian body, affirmed Thursday that Mr. Laurent Vinatier was collecting information on Russian military activities which, “if obtained by foreign sources, could be used against the security of the Russian state” . Which could lead to further prosecution.
According to sources interviewed by AFP, the Frenchman had been working for years on the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, even before the February 2022 assault, as part of discreet parallel diplomatic efforts by States.
His employer, the Swiss NGO Center for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD), said on Friday it was doing “everything possible to help” Mr. Vinatier, who “lives in Switzerland and travels regularly for his work.”
Mediators from NGOs like HD work confidentially and outside the constraints of traditional diplomacy. This allows informal contacts between adversaries, but can also expose these actors to accusations of espionage.
The arrest of Mr. Vinatier comes amidst Russian-French tensions over Ukraine.
Paris is trying to convince its allies to send military instructors to this country to train Ukrainian soldiers, who are in difficulty facing Russian forces. Mr. Macron also spoke of sending troops, sparking anger in the Kremlin and new threats of escalation.
This arrest also came the day after the arrest in the Paris region of a Russian-Ukrainian suspected of having planned a violent action in connection with a “terrorist” enterprise in France, less than two months before the opening of the Olympic Games in Paris.
Among the actions for which such suspicions weigh: coffins installed at the foot of the Eiffel Tower in early June, graffiti in May on the Holocaust memorial, blue Stars of David stenciled in Paris and its suburbs in October 2023.
Several Americans are already detained in Russian prisons. Moscow is accused of carrying out such arrests and then negotiating exchanges and freeing its agents.
This is the case of American journalist Evan Gershkovich, accused of espionage despite his denials, those of his relatives, his country and his employer.
Moscow seems to want to exchange him for a man convicted in Germany of assassination on behalf of the Russian secret services.
Switzerland and Russia also have difficult relations due to Ukraine.
The Kremlin considers that the Swiss Confederation is not respecting its status of neutrality, because it has adopted European sanctions and is hosting a peace summit on June 15-16 at the request of Kyiv, without Russia.
Russian officials accuse Switzerland of “having lost all credibility as a neutral country and vilify this summit.”