French researcher Laurent Vinatier admitted during interrogation to illegally collecting sensitive Russian military information, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Wednesday.

Laurent Claude Jean-Louis Vinatier, who worked for a long time in Russia in the Swiss non-governmental non-profit organization Center for Humanitarian Dialogue, was accused of collecting military information and military information of a technical nature that could be used to the detriment of the security of the Russian Federation. He was also charged with violating the law of the Russian Federation, which obliges everyone who collects data on military issues to register as a foreign agent with the authorities. According to Russian legislation, the crime carries a maximum penalty of five years of imprisonment.

Vinatier’s arrest on June 6th was followed by a court decision to keep him in custody until August 5th. Vinatier was also registered in the government’s “foreign agents” list at this time.

According to the Investigative Committee of Russia, during the criminal investigation, the testimonies of seven witnesses with whom Vinatier spoke to gather information were obtained. Forensic examination of the audio recordings of such meetings and examination of the equipment seized from the researcher were also carried out. During the last interrogation, Vinatier pleaded guilty to all the charges.

A researcher has been arrested amidst escalating tensions between Moscow and Paris, linked to French President Emmanuel Macron’s tough stance on the conflict in Ukraine. Though Russia has not accused the researcher, Vinatier, of collaborating with a foreign intelligence agency or being directly involved in espionage, in the past, Russian authorities have arrested individuals for violating the law on “foreign agents” and subsequently charged them with more serious offenses.

The number of arrests on charges of espionage and collecting confidential data in Russia has increased since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in February 2022. Notable recent arrests include Evan Gershkovich from the Wall Street Journal, and Alsu Kurmasheva, a U.S.-Russian journalist, taken into custody in October 2023. Both were detained on espionage charges similar to Vinatier.