Authorities in France have released a Russian national accused by the United States of participating in hacking attacks on companies for ransom in cryptocurrency.
The man has been exchanged for a French citizen held in Russian custody, instead of being handed over to the U.S. The swap has been compared to the Griner case. Daniil Kasatkin, a basketball player from Russia who was arrested in Paris last summer, has been set free and allowed to fly back to his home country. “Kasatkin was released from prison last night. He was put on a plane and has already landed in Moscow,” his lawyer, Frederic Belot, said.
France frees hacker wanted in the United States
Belot noted that a French court had approved the athlete’s extradition to the United States, but Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu did not sign the respective order. Kasatkin was detained at the French capital’s Charles de Gaulle airport on June 21, 2025, at the request of the American government.
US authorities allege his involvement in cybercrime, more specifically, in the activities of a hacker group that encrypted company data and demanded cryptocurrency for ransom. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) believes the hits were carried out using his laptop or IP addresses linked to him while he was in the country.
Investigators in Washington claim Kasatkin participated in a conspiracy to commit computer fraud, money laundering, and cyberattacks. Between 2020 and 2022, Daniil played two seasons in the US college leagues, the online news portal Gazeta.ru recalled, noting that the crimes were committed later, after the Russian had sold his computer to a roommate.
Daniil Kasatkin’s extradition to the United States was approved on October 29. If the executive power in France had followed the French court’s ruling to grant the American request, he would have faced up to 25 years in prison on the said charges. The Russian basketball player maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings.
Kasatkin was released as part of a prisoner exchange with Russia
Following his arrest, Frédéric Belot and his Russian colleague, Vladimir Sarukhanov, filed motions for bail or judicial supervision that were denied.During the first court hearing, in early September, the Russian declared he did not consent to the extradition and intended to defend himself in France, where he expected a more “objective” judicial treatment.
According to his lawyers, prosecutors did not present any direct evidence against their client, while U.S. law enforcement failed to submit the required documents in full within the 60 days prescribed by French law. The extradition was nevertheless approved. However, Lecornu’s decision not to sign under the ruling ensured a different outcome for Kasatkin. And it did not come completely out of the blue.
It turns out, the Russian has been freed as a result of a prisoner swap agreed with Moscow. Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) provided the details. “Kasatkin was exchanged for French citizen Vinatier, Laurent Claude Jean-Louis, who, as an employee of the Swiss non-governmental organization Center for Humanitarian Dialogue, collected military and military-technical information,” the agency said.
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