Russia’s FSB claims arrested French citizen collected military intelligence

The FSB said Vinatier had collected “information of a military and military-technical nature that could be used to the detriment of the security of the Russian Federation.”

Her testimony echoes allegations previously made by the Russian Investigative Committee, although the public involvement of Russia’s FSB intelligence agency could heighten Western concerns about the case.

Russia has neither charged nor publicly accused Vinatier of collaborating with foreign intelligence services or of directly engaging in espionage.

However, authorities have previously arrested people for violations of the Foreign Agents Act before charging them with more serious offenses.

In a separate statement on Wednesday, the investigative committee said Vinatier pleaded guilty to the charges, which carry a five-year prison sentence, after apologizing at a court hearing last month.

The FSB said on Wednesday that it had audio recordings of meetings Vinatier held with Russian citizens during which he allegedly collected military intelligence.

Under Russian law, individuals who collect, report or disclose information related to the Russian military or security services must register as “foreign agents.”

The law has also been widely used to target domestic critics of the Kremlin, with hundreds of journalists and activists labelled “foreign agents” – a term that evokes associations with Soviet-era espionage.

After his arrest, French President Emmanuel Macron called for Vinatier’s immediate release and said the “propaganda” against him “does not correspond to reality”.

Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva was arrested last year on charges of failing to register as a “foreign agent” before more serious allegations were made against her that she had spread false information about the armed forces.

And last month, the closed-door trial of Evan Gershkovich, a US reporter who was arrested in March 2023 and charged with espionage, began in the Ural city of Yekaterinburg.

His employer, the Wall Street Journal, called the allegations a “farce.” The newspaper, the White House and Gershkovich all dismissed the allegations as baseless, and Russia has provided no evidence to support the allegations against him.

Washington accuses Moscow of arresting foreign citizens in order to use them as bargaining chips in exchange for Russians imprisoned abroad.

A court last month ordered Vinatier to be held in custody until at least August 5.

bur/rox