MOSCOW, December 25. /TASS/. Moscow and Paris have been in contact regarding the case of French national Laurent Vinatier (designated as a foreign agent in Russia), who is charged with espionage, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.

"Indeed, there have been contacts between us [Russia] and the French side [regarding the Vinatier case]," Peskov said at a news briefing as he confirmed that Russia had "put forward proposals to the French side regarding Vinatier."

"The ball is now on the French court’s side," he continued.

Jerome Garro, a French journalist from TF1 TV, on December 19 asked Russian President Vladimir Putin during his combined Direct Line Q&A session and year-end press conference headlined "Results of the Year" about his compatriot Vinatier, who was sentenced in Russia to "three years for an administrative violation."

Garro added that Vinatier is now "accused of espionage, which worsens the situation." The French journalist asked the Russian president whether Vinatier's family could hold out hope for his exchange or pardon.

Putin said in response that this was the first he was hearing about the case, but he would definitely find out about it adding that if "there is at least some chance to resolve this issue in a positive way," all necessary efforts would be exerted to that end.

According to TF1 following reports, a few days later Russian Presidential Spokesman Peskov called Garro saying that Putin had instructed him to bring up the documents on the Vinatier case and that Moscow had made an offer to Paris and was waiting for a response.

"I can confirm this, I called on behalf of the [Russian] President, and passed this information along to the journalist," Peskov said commenting on the French TV media’s information.

"I cannot provide you with details. This is a very sensitive issue. However, I do confirm that there was such an instruction on behalf of the president," Peskov added.

Vinatier’s case

Vinatier, an employee of the Swiss non-governmental non-profit organization Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, who was put on the register of foreign agents by the Russian justice ministry, was detained in Moscow in early June 2024.

On October 14, Moscow’s Zamoskvoretsky district court found him guilty on charges of evading the duties under the Russian foreign agents law (part 3, article 330.1 of the Russian Criminal Code). Vinatier was sentenced to three years in a penitentiary colony. The case was considered in a special procedure.

According to the investigators, from August 23, 2021, to August 26, 2022, the man collected data about military and military-technical activities, and the mobilization campaign, of which he was obliged to notify a relevant Russian authority. The French national reportedly received information about the deployment of Russian forces in Ukraine, and about operational combat forecasts. These materials could have been used against Russia, the investigators insist.