Russian state news media reported on July 31 that the Zamoskvorechye district court in Moscow extended the pretrial detention of French researcher Laurent Vinatier, who Russian investigators have said pleaded guilty to illegally obtaining information about the Russian military.
The 48-year-old French national was arrested in Moscow in early June over the alleged spying and for purportedly failing to register as a "foreign agent."
He said at a hearing on July 31 where the court extended his detention until September 5 that his Russian visa had expired. Vinatier's lawyers asked the court to transfer their client to house arrest or release him on bail.
Vinatier is an adviser who works for the Geneva-based Center for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD), a nonprofit conflict-resolution organization, and "travels regularly for his work," according to the group.
HD said it was "doing everything possible to assist" and get legal representation for Vinatier, and was "reaching out to relevant governmental authorities."
Radio France International reported earlier that HD acknowledged Vinatier had not registered as a foreign agent because he was unaware of such an obligation.
Russia has long used its foreign agent laws to jail perceived domestic and international enemies and critics.
But it has stepped up detentions of Westerners under those and other charges since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.
A foreign agent conviction can result in a five-year prison sentence.
In some cases -- including one against jailed RFE/RL journalist Alsu Kurmasheva that Washington has said is to punish journalism -- allegations concerning Russia's military amid what Moscow calls a "special military operation" against Ukraine have accompanied the foreign agent charge.
The Russian Investigative Committee alleged publicly that the information Vinatier gathered "could be used against state security." It has not given details on the information.
