Russia jails French citizen detained on charges of collecting military data

MOSCOW (AP) — A court in Moscow has ordered that a French citizen accused of collecting information on military issues in Russia be held in pre-trial custody. Laurent Vinatier was arrested in the Russian capital on Thursday. Tensions have flared between Moscow and Paris following French President Emmanuel Macron’s statements about the possibility of deploying the country’s troops in Ukraine. The authorities accused Vinatier of failing to register as a “foreign agent” while collecting information about Russia’s “military and military-technical activities.” Under Russian law, it is a criminal offense punishable by up to five years in prison. This and other legislation adopted lately has been widely criticized by rights advocates as a tool for the Kremlin to crack down on dissent.