French citizen Laurent Vinatier has been sentenced to three years in prison (Pavel Bednyakov/AP)A Russian court convicted a French citizen of collecting military information and sentenced him to three years in prison. In his remarks before the verdict, Vinatier, speaking Russian, reaffirmed that he fully recognised his guilt and asked the judge for clemency. Russian authorities accused Vinatier of failing to register as a "foreign agent" while collecting information about Russia's "military and military-technical activities" that could be used to the detriment of the country's security. The prosecutors charged that Vinatier had collected military information during his meetings with three Russian citizens in Moscow in 2021-22. The charges against Vinatier relate to a law that requires anyone collecting information on military issues to register with authorities as a foreign agent.

Source: Irish Independent October 15, 2024 00:11 UTC