MOSCOW, August 20. /TASS/. Investigators have charged French citizen Laurent Vinatier, who was previously convicted for evading the duties of a foreign agent, with espionage, says the database of the Lefortovo Court of Moscow, which received a request to extend Vinatier's arrest.

"The court has received a request from the investigation to extend the detention of Laurent Vinatier, charged under Article 276 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (espionage)," the court's electronic database says. No other details are given.

The Justice Ministry put Vinatier on the register of foreign agents. He is an employee of the Swiss non-governmental non-profit organization Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, and was detained in Moscow last June. In October, the Zamoskvoretsky Court of Moscow found him guilty under Part 3 of Article 330.1 of the Criminal Code (evading duties provided for by the legislation on foreign agents). Vinatier was sentenced to three years in prison. The case was considered in a special order.

According to the investigators, from April 23, 2021 to August 26, 2022, Vinatier collected information about military, military-technical activities, and mobilization, of which he had to notify the relevant authority. The French citizen received information about the deployment of the Russian army in Ukraine and information about forecasts of the course of military operations. According to the investigation, the information he received could be used against Russia.