France has released an alleged ransomware crook wanted by the US in exchange for a conflict researcher imprisoned in Russia.

The prisoner swap occurred Thursday, with president Vladimir Putin pardoning French researcher and political scientist Laurent Vinatier.

Vinatier, 49, was sentenced to three years in a Russian prison in October 2024 for failing to register as a foreign agent. The FSB claimed he collected "military and military-technical information" during his time in Russia.

The researcher, a consultant for the Swiss NGO Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, reportedly faced more serious espionage charges in August after being found guilty under foreign agent law.

Specializing in the Ukraine war, Vinatier's work focused on communicating between states mired in conflict, outside of official channels.

Vinatier's release was negotiated by France, which was holding basketball player Daniil Kasatkin in custody since June 2025 at the request of US officials seeking his extradition.

Kasatkin, 26, was accused of aiding ransomware negotiations between a major, unnamed cybercrime outfit and around 900 victims, including two US federal departments.

Kasatkin denied all allegations. His lawyer, Frédéric Belot, said at the time of his arrest: "He bought a used computer. He did absolutely nothing wrong. He's shocked.

"He's useless with computers. He can't even install an app. He didn't touch anything on this computer. It was either hacked, or sold to him by a hacker who wanted to pass himself off as someone else."

The basketball player, who previously played for professional team MBA-MAI Moscow - and Penn State University before that - allegedly assisted the attacks between 2020-2022.

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French President Emmanuel Macron, said via X: "Our compatriot Laurent Vinatier is free and back in France. I share the relief of his family and loved ones. My gratitude to our diplomatic agents for their mobilization."

For years under Putin's rule, Russia has engaged in so-called prisoner diplomacy whereby the state imprisons Western figures who can be exchanged for the return of Russian agents.

On August 1, 2024, the largest exchange of prisoners since the Cold War took place between Russia and the West. Described as a highly complex negotiation, the result was an unequal deal favoring the West. Twenty-four individuals were freed in total: 16 for the West, and eight Russians, including several cybercriminals and state assassin Vadim Krasikov. ®