Russia swaps basketball star for suspected French spy

RT.com
08 Jan 2026, 20:06 GMT+10

Moscow has secured the return of Daniil Kasatkin, who has been accused by the US of being a member of a ransomware gang

Moscow has conducted a prisoner swap with Paris, exchanging jailed French national Laurent Vinatier for detained basketball player Daniil Kasatkin, the Federal Security Service (FSB) has announced.

Kasatkin, a point guard playing for Russia's national team, ended up in French custody last June. The basketball player was detained at the behest of the US, which accused him of being a member of a ransomware gang.

The US authorities alleged the athlete, who had studied in the country, negotiated ransom payments on behalf of a hacker group that targeted over 900 companies and two federal institutions between 2020 and 2022.

The player has denied any wrongdoing, with his legal team stating Kasatkin has had "poor computer skills" altogether, while his legal troubles were related to the purchase of a used computer that was possibly hacked.

(RT.com)

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