Overview
- Russia's FSB said Vinatier was exchanged for Russian basketball player Daniil Kasatkin, who had been held in France on U.S. hacking allegations.
- FSB video showed Vinatier being informed of a presidential pardon by Vladimir Putin and boarding a small aircraft after Kasatkin deplaned.
- France confirmed Vinatier's arrival and reception at the Quai d'Orsay, with President Emmanuel Macron expressing relief and thanking diplomats.
- Vinatier, a specialist on the post‑Soviet region, was sentenced in 2024 for failing to register as a 'foreign agent' and later faced an espionage investigation.
- French courts approved Kasatkin's extradition to the United States in October 2025, but no government decree was signed before the swap.