French diplomatic sources said on Monday that a French citizen has been taken into custody in Russia and placed in pre-trial detention.
This latest case comes after Russian authorities detained another French citizen, Laurent Vinatier. The 49-year-old researcher was jailed in Russia in June 2024 under the foreign agents law, which France condemned as “arbitrary.”
Paris and Washington have accused Moscow of hostage-taking—arresting their citizens on baseless charges to exchange them for Russians detained in the West.
“We have been informed of the arrest and pre-trial detention of one of our nationals in Russia, in the Far East region,” the sources said, without specifying the date or circumstances of the arrest. Further information about the case has not yet been released.
“Our consulate general in Moscow has contacted the Russian authorities and requested consular protection,” the sources added.
On Friday, French newspaper Le Monde reported that a French ultra-distance cyclist aiming to set a record for crossing Europe had been detained in the Pacific port city of Vladivostok.
Sofiane Sehili, 44, has been accused of illegally crossing the border, according to the newspaper.
Over the weekend, Russia’s TASS news agency—quoting emergency services in the Far East—said Sehili was detained in Vladivostok on allegations of illegally crossing the border.
