French researcher Laurent Vinatier arrived in France on Thursday, January 8, following a prisoner exchange involving a Russian basketball player wanted in the United States, the foreign ministry and President Emmanuel Macron said. “Our compatriot Laurent Vinatier is free and back in France,” Macron said on X, thanking diplomats. “I share the relief felt by his family and loved ones,” he added. He “has just arrived in Paris,” a diplomatic source told AFP.

Vinatier, 49, was exchanged for Russian basketball player Daniil Kasatkin, 26, who had been held in France. Vinatier had been jailed in Russia in June 2024 and was serving a three-year sentence for failing to register as a “foreign agent” – a label used by Russia against critics of President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin’s policies. He faced fresh allegations of spying that could have seen him sentenced to another 20 years, allegations slammed as baseless by Paris.

Kasatkin was arrested last year at a Paris airport at the request of the United States, where he is wanted for having allegedly taken part in a ransomware hacking ring. He has denied the accusations.

“It’s a huge relief,” said Frederic Belot, a lawyer representing the parents of the French researcher. “We are extremely happy that he has been released for Orthodox Christmas,” added the attorney, who also represents the basketball player. Orthodox Christians marked Orthodox Christmas on Wednesday, January 7.

Russian state TV outlets published a video of a smiling Vinatier being released from jail, dressed in black and with a large black holdall. He is later seen boarding an aircraft. In a separate video, Kasatkin is shown getting off a plane and entering a van on the tarmac. The Kremlin announced last month it had made an offer to France regarding Vinatier – a Swiss conflict-mediation NGO employee – prompting hopes he could be freed.

Western countries have long accused Russia of arresting their citizens to use as bargaining chips to secure the release of alleged Russian spies and cyber criminals jailed in Europe and the US.