A French researcher, Laurent Vinatier, has been released from a three-year prison sentence in Russia following a prisoner swap with Moscow, as confirmed by French President Emmanuel Macron. Vinatier was convicted of violating Russia’s ‘foreign agent’ laws, but the case against him was dismissed after he expressed remorse. He was exchanged for Russian basketball player Daniil Kasatkin, who faced extradition to the U.S. over alleged ransomware involvement. This exchange occurs amid strained Franco-Russian relations post-Ukraine invasion.
