Laurent Vinatier, 48, a French citizen, is a researcher for Swiss-based conflict mediation organization Humanitarian Dialogue (HD). While routinely researching military-related information in Russia, he was arrested and charged with failure to register as a foreign agent, and “collecting military information of value to foreign intelligence services.” (See 10/16/24 post.)

Vinatier and HD have vehemently denied that his work is in any way connected with, or useful to, any foreign intelligence service. But having admitted to the collection of information in the performance of his research work, he was sentenced to “only” three years in prison.

It will be interesting to see how long it will take Vladimir Putin to make the first overture toward a possible swap of Vinatier for Russian-born Pavel Durov, CEO of Telegram messaging service, currently being detained in France for refusing to cooperate with French authorities’ investigations of some of Telegram’s customers.

Sadly, in the meantime, Mr. Vinatier is one more for the hostage list.

*. *. *

And, as always, we remember those others who have already been convicted and imprisoned on spurious political grounds. In no particular order, they are:

No longer a hostage, Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna, age 27, died while in Russian custody on September 19th under unexplained circumstances; her family was not notified until nearly a month later. (See 10/13/24 post.) Her circumstances are under investigation by Ukrainian authorities, and we pay homage to her courage and integrity by keeping her on our list of hostages for a while longer.

*. *. *

Stephen James Hubbard, 72, who was teaching English in Ukraine. In April of 2022, he was charged with fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine in its defense against Russia. Following a closed-door trial, he was sentenced on October 7th to six years and ten months in a maximum-security prison.

A 72-year-old English teacher! Is there no limit to the depth of Vladimir Putin’s corruption?

*. *. *

U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Gordon Black, who was stationed in South Korea when he fell into a classic Russian “honey trap.” He was on his way back to his home in Texas, on two weeks’ leave, when he was lured to Vladivostok by the Russian girlfriend he had met in Korea. He was arrested in May of 2024 on charges of alleged larceny and murder threat, and sentenced the following month to a prison term of three years and nine months.

* . *. *

Marc Fogel, a schoolteacher from Pennsylvania, was arrested in August of 2021 for possession of 0.6 ounce of legally-prescribed (in the U.S.) medical marijuana. In June of 2022 he was sentenced to 14 years in prison.

*. *. *

Ksenia Karelina, dual U.S.-Russian citizen, recently convicted of espionage and sentenced to 12 years in prison for contributing $51.80 to an American charity providing aid to Ukraine.

*. *. *

Robert Romanov Woodland, a dual US-Russian citizen, was teaching English in Russia when he was arrested in January of 2024 for allegedly attempting to sell drugs. In July, he was sentenced to 12-1/2 years in a maximum security prison.

*. *. *

Robert Gilman, already in jail in Russia serving a 4-1/2-year sentence (later reduced to 3-1/2 years on appeal) for kicking a police officer in 2022, found himself facing added charges in 2023 of punching prison staff in the head, and later also attacking a criminal investigator and another prison guard.

*. *. *

David Barnes, an American citizen and resident of Texas, was arrested in January of 2022 while visiting his children, who had been taken to Russia from Texas by his Russian wife. He was charged and sentenced in the fall of that year to 21 years in prison for child abuse (allegedly occurring while in Texas), on his wife’s accusation. I really wish I knew more of this story!

*. *. *

Eugene Spector, a dual US-Russian citizen already serving a four-year sentence handed down in June of 2021 on a bribery conviction, received additional charges of suspicion of espionage in August of 2023. No other details have been found, as the evidence is labelled “classified.”

*. *. *

Michael Travis Leake, a rock musician and former paratrooper, was sentenced in July of this year to 13 years in prison on drug charges — specifically, suspicion of selling mephedrone, and organizing a drug trafficking business “involving young people.”

*. *. *

And again I ask: Are any of these prisoners actually guilty of the charges leveled against them? I don’t know. But I do know that the recent timing of a number of the arrests, and the speed with which they were brought to trial, is a clear indication of Russia’s intentional roundup of American citizens to be used as (what I call) Putin’s Pawns.

What they are, quite simply, are HOSTAGES. And they will not — MUST not — be forgotten. Let’s shorten this list to zero.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/20/24

. . . and under the covers.

Picked up a bit of a bug yesterday — not the six-legged kind — so I’m taking some time off from writing today to watch old movies and drink all kinds of herbal tea, starting with chamomile. But I’ll be back soon.

I think everyone should do this now and again — bug or no bug. It’s good for the soul.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/19/24

Well, the word from the darling of the Moscow press corps (what’s left of it) — Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov — is that it most certainly is the case.

Unfortunately, he doesn’t offer any facts to back it up.

It was, however, suggested by him on Wednesday that a number of European countries were facing difficulties in regard to the assistance being provided Ukraine by their military-industrial industries. [Dmitry Antonov, Reuters, October 16, 2024.]

In response to a question regarding the French and German arms industries, and without himself naming any specific countries, he had this to say:

“This mobilisation of capabilities for ephemeral goals is contrary to the interests of the economic development of these countries, and clearly the capacities of these countries are not designed for such efforts. In time, we hope, an understanding that such spending is unnecessary will become sharper and will sink in among more and more of the political establishment of these countries.” [Id.]

Conversely, French President Emmanuel Macron had said only last week that France’s work was continuing in regard to supplying arms to Ukraine; and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has announced his country’s provision of a $153 billion military aid package for Kyiv by the end of this year. [Id.]

So where is the Kremlin getting its information? Or is it just being made up to support some “ephemeral goal” — or more long-term purpose — of its own? Are they simply playing mind games with Europe’s leaders? They are very good at that, after all. And the illustrious Kremlin spokesman does not throw words around just for the fun of it.

Perhaps someone should have asked Peskov for clarification. But in all likelihood, there was no one from the remaining independent media in attendance . . . and no one from the state-controlled media with the guts to do it.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/19/24

It was just yesterday that I made mention of a law being bandied about in Russia’s Parliament that would make it illegal to promote what they call a “child-free ideology . . . that threatens the country’s traditional values” — the purpose being to promote a baby boom and reverse the disturbing decline in Russia’s population.

And — given the eight-hour time difference between my location (U.S. Eastern time) and Moscow — it may have been at the very same time that the Duma, the lower house of Parliament, was giving its speedy approval to that bill.

Now, that doesn’t mean it’s been passed yet. There are still two more readings required in the Duma, plus “vetting” by the upper house, before it gets sent to President Putin for signature. But, given that this bill was his idea in the first place, we can reasonably assume that no time will be wasted in passing it to his desk, where it will immediately be signed into law.

Putin speaks. Parliament acts. And BAM! It’s done.

That law, by the way, is an abomination — another individual right subjected to Putin’s heavy-handed, authoritarian control. And to justify it, he purports that it is necessary because of “Western efforts to weaken Russia by encouraging population decline.” [Associated Press, October 17, 2024.]

Yup — it’s all our fault for being too liberal.

In keeping with Putin’s “Year of the Family” hooplah, the bill has been presented by one of its authors, Elvira Aitkulova, as intended to “cleanse the information space from destructive content . . . [and] create a favorable information environment for our families.” In other words: censorship. And before submitting the bill to a vote — which, by the way, received unanimous approval — she added, “This is a strategic bill for the sake of a strong, productive and healthy future.” [Id.]

The Speaker of the Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, said that the bill is a part of the country’s efforts to protect its “traditional values,” and — in answer to critics who fear it would impinge on citizens’ freedom of expression — that “we are defending children, families and our values.”

And that was that. The women of Russia are now urged to get busy producing at least three, and as many as eight, offspring. And don’t speak out against it . . . or else.

*. *. *

So that’s how it’s done, in Russia. There’s a war raging in Ukraine, economic fallout from Western sanctions, and Islamists staging terror attacks at odd moments. But if the boss wants women turned into baby-making machines, then that is where Parliament must turn its attention. And so they do.

But why? How does this magically happen? What are their justifications? Their incentives?

Well, if they behave as expected, they can hope for rapid career advancement, perhaps a sudden cash windfall, or assurance that a past misdeed will be overlooked. And if not . . . actually, it’s probably best not to speculate on the worst that can happen. Just look at the history of the sorts of misfortunes that have befallen Putin’s adversaries.

*. *. *

Now, in the U.S. Congress, we have wheeling and dealing, special interests, party rivalries, filibustering, and all sorts of nonsense that can cause agonizing delays in getting important legislation passed through both houses. Hell, they can’t even agree on a budget for the fiscal year that is already 18 days old!

Is that frustrating to the nation’s people? You bet it is. It’s beyond frustrating — it can adversely affect people’s employment, their financial situations, or their very health. It’s an imperfect system that could use tweaking. But is there a better alternative without going to the extreme of amending the Constitution? I suppose it’s possible . . . and if there is, I’d like to know about it.

But one thing I do know is that it’s not the Russian way. No single individual should have the power to rule over an entire nation. Even the best of people can be corrupted by power and money, or by a delusional belief in their own infallibility. And when the person in command is corrupt to begin with, you have a recipe for disaster.

We Americans need our system of checks and balances. We need our Senators and Congresspersons arguing the fine points of proposed bills before voting on them. And we need our separate branches of government overseeing each other.

There will be individuals within the system who are less than perfect. But the system as a whole has worked for nearly 250 years, and it has become a model for most of the rest of the world. It may need a few bandaids, but it’s not in need of major surgery.

Personally, I’ll take slow and frustrating over fast and dictatorial, any time.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/18/24

On October 13th, I commented briefly on the story of 27-year-old Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna, who would have been added to our list of Putin’s hostages were it not for the fact that she had just been reported, without further detail, to have died in a Russian prison.

Viktoriia is said by her former colleagues to have had “great courage,” and to have been “desperate” to go to Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine to report on the true conditions there. The media outlets for which she freelanced would not send her because of the extreme danger involved, so she went on her own, despite warnings from friends and co-workers. Her stories “were snapshots of life that Ukrainians were not getting from anywhere else.” [Sarah Rainsford, BBC, October 12, 2024.]

She set out for occupied Ukraine last July via Poland and Russia, and was detained at the border and interrogated for several days. After that, all her father knows is that by May she was in Detention Centre No. 2 in Taganrog, in southern Russia — “a facility so notorious for the brutal treatment of many Ukrainians that some dub it the ‘Russian Guantanamo.’” [Id.]

In September, her family was told by another Ukrainian citizen who had just been released from Taganrog that she had seen Viktoriia around September 8th or 9th.

A colleague, Sevgil Musaieva, editor-in-chief at Ukrayinska Pravda, was advised that Viktoriia would be included in a prisoner-of-war swap, and would be back by September 13th. But she wasn’t.

And last week, her father received a terse letter from the Russian Ministry of Defense, advising him of his daughter’s death on September 19th. No details — no cause of death, no reason for the delay — were given. [Id.]

There was information indicating that she had been moved, along with another Ukrainian woman; but neither was included in the prisoner exchange. So where had she been taken? One possibility was to Lefortovo Prison in Moscow, according to Tetyana Katrychenko, director of Media Initiative, though that is not normal practice before a prisoner swap. The fact is, no one knows for sure. [Id.]

Ukrainian MP Yaroslav Yurchyshyn told the BBC in Kyiv:

“A civilian journalist . . . captured by Russia. Then Russia sends a letter that she died? It’s killing. Just the killing of hostages. I don’t know other [sic] word.” [Id.]

What we do know is that another life has been tragically cut short by Putin’s regime because a civilian was doing her job and reporting the uncomfortable truth. Ukraine’s intelligence service has confirmed Viktoriia’s death, and the Ukrainian General Prosecutor’s office is investigating the case as a murder.

BBC has received no comment from Russian authorities. But that’s not surprising either . . . recalling the similarly mysterious death of dissident Alexei Navalny in yet another Russian house of horrors just a few months ago.

I suppose they’ll try to write this one off to “natural causes” as well.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/18/24

Thinking I had stumbled onto some really good news out of Russia when I read the headline: Russia releases man whose daughter’s drawing opposed Ukraine fighting — I said a silent “Hallelujah!” and read on.

I should have known better.

Instead of celebrating a bit of happy news, I had to wonder why this was news at all. Because this man, Alexei Moskalyov, who had been sentenced to one year and ten months in prison, had just been released after serving twenty-two months.

For anyone who may have slept through first-grade arithmetic, or who simply hates math, let me save you the trouble: that’s one year and ten months. Moskalyov had served his full term.

So why on earth did his release make the news? Because the OVD-Info group, which monitors political detentions in Russia, reported a detail of his release that otherwise might have gone unnoticed.

But let’s begin at the beginning. Moskalyov’s conviction in March of 2023 was based on posts that he had made on a social media site. (The nature of the posts was not specified in the source article). These came to the attention of authorities after his daughter, then age 13, made a drawing in school that was in opposition to the war in Ukraine. [Associated Press, October 15, 2024.]

Under current Russian law, bad-mouthing the military, the war, or the government in general is a big no-no, at any age. I can only assume that someone — a teacher or fellow student, perhaps — reported the daughter, which led to an investigation of the father as well. Josef Stalin would have been so proud!

In any event, Moskalyov was tried, convicted and sentenced, but managed to flee . . . to Belarus. Big mistake! It may have been the easiest border for him to reach; but he really should have chosen an adjoining country that isn’t one of Putin’s puppet states.

So, one day later in Belarus, he was arrested and extradited to Russia, where he served his full term. Upon his release, he spoke with the people at OVD-Info.

And OVD-Info reports that Moskalyov told them that agents of the Federal Security Service (FSB, successor to the KGB) had questioned other inmates in his unit prior to his release, suggesting they were looking for cause to file new charges against him. [Id.]

And that, sadly, is neither surprising nor unusual. It has become quite common practice in the Russian judicial system to add further charges and additional years in prison to someone already incarcerated. Once on the authorities’ radar, you are fair game.

And those Russian authorities are well known for their long memories and short tempers.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/18/24

No, they’re not being stalked — not by me, at any rate. (What surveillance they’re subject to in Russia is a whole other question.) But I’ve been following, from time to time, Arend Feenstra’s YouTube channel, both out of concern for the welfare of those eight children, and because it’s fascinating to be able to observe life on the farm in Nizhny Novgorod for a bunch of non-Russian-speaking emigres from Canada.

From all outward appearances, they’re doing as well as — actually, better than — I had expected after a very rocky start some nine months ago. Arend says they “bought” this land, on which they’ve been building a large house to accommodate their large family (though he never mentions where they’ve been living in the meantime). In the most recent episode, the electrical team was on the property, installing power lines and poles that didn’t even exist there before now. In Russia, when they say “rural,” they mean “Rural” — with a capital “R.” How he managed to get the local officials moving so quickly remains a mystery.

As usual, he went into a great deal of detail about the various stages of construction, which I’m sure some people found interesting but I could have done without. What did interest me were the nuances of some of the things he said . . . and the things he didn’t say. For example:

There was a bit of the requisite praise for the family’s new Russian home: the beautiful scenery (which actually appeared quite flat and barren); the abundance of churches “everywhere you look,” whereas churches in Canada and the U.S. are being turned into houses and restaurants because no one is going to church; the advantages of raising children on a farm; the family values in Russia (in accordance with Putin’s current “Year of the Family”); the wonderful people of Nizhny Novgorod who have made their settling-in so much easier than other immigrants he has spoken to, etc.

At least he didn’t actually mention “our wonderful President Vladimir Putin” this time.

But it’s difficult to expunge a lifetime of history from one’s mind and soul. In comparing how certain phases of construction are done in Russia vs. Canada, he repeatedly referred to Canada as “we” and Russia as “they.”

And, rather oddly, at one point when talking about his family’s progress and their future plans, he said, “Of course, we don’t tell you everything.” Then he quickly tried to recover with a stumbling, “We’d have to be here 24 hours a day,” or words to that effect. A Freudian slip? Or am I just reading too much into it?

As to those future plans, he talked about adding a barn and a workshop to the property within the next year or so. And he’s even thinking of starting a construction business once his own building phase is completed, since he already has a good bit of equipment. But he pointed out that, with winter coming on and the days getting shorter, the work will probably go a bit more slowly for a while.

The rest of the family was absent from this episode, except for a few shots of some of the older children planting a line of trees. Everyone digs in (literally) on the farm.

And as the sun sets — earlier and earlier — on idyllic Countryside Acres in historic Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, we bid farewell for now to the hard-working, forward-looking, close-knit, and always optimistic Feenstra family. Keep up the good work.

Do svidaniye, tovarishchi.

*. *. *

And then I found, also on YouTube but on the Real Reporter channel, an interview with Arend Feenstra and the family, which delved more deeply into their reasons for choosing Russia, the economic planning that went into their decision, and more. And I have to say, I was taken aback by a good bit of what I heard . . . but that’s not to say I agreed with all of it. I will watch it again, and you’ll probably be subjected later to my comments. For now, I’ve saved the video under “Propaganda.”

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/17/24

In 1974, a man identified as Martin Manfred Naumann — then an East German Stasi (secret police) officer in Communist East Berlin — shot Czeslaw Kukuczka in the back as he attempted to flee to freedom in the West from Berlin’s Friedrichstrasse train station.

Kukucka, a 38-year-old father of three, had entered the Polish Embassy on East Berlin’s Unter den Linden Boulevard, carrying a briefcase that he said contained a bomb. He was lying about the bomb, but Stasi officers there had no way of knowing that, and so they gave him an exit visa and some West German money, and escorted him to the station.

The desperate man had made it past several border checks in the station; but before he could reach the western area, he was shot in the back by a man who witnesses said approached him from the rear.

His family was never officially notified of what had happened to him, but some weeks later, his wife received his ashes. The Stasi shredded their files on the case before the reunification of Germany in 1990. And there the story seems to end. [Ido Vock, BBC News, October 14, 2024.]

But it doesn’t really end there, because some very persistent historians, together with Polish authorities, wouldn’t let it die with Mr. Kukucka. Some of those historians tracked down related files in the old Stasi archives, and even used modern technology to reconstitute shredded documents linking Naumann to the killing.

On the basis of those findings, Berlin prosecutors filed charges against Naumann in 2023. And now he has been sentenced to ten years in prison for a cold-blooded murder he committed fifty years ago.

Ten years may not seem long enough; but Naumann is now 80 years old. He may as well have received a life sentence.

It may have taken half a century, but justice has at last been served. I hope Mr. Kukucka’s children — and perhaps grandchildren — are able to celebrate the victory.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/17/24

Well, of course! What is wrong with me? I should have seen it sooner — the reason Vladimir Putin has busted his ass, paving the way for the Feenstra family from Canada to emigrate to Russia.

I overlooked the fact that 2024 is Russia’s Year Of the Family. You remember . . . the year when working women have been encouraged — no, urged — to use their lunch breaks to breed. Yes, I said “breed,” i.e., to copulate with their male partners in order to procreate. And the more babies you can crank out, the bigger shall be your reward from Uncle Vladimir.

Now look at the Feenstras again: Mama, Papa, and eight ready-made, brand-new, starry-eyed, young Russian citizens. What happened to all that red tape they encountered on arrival in Russia? Suddenly gone. The language requirement in order to obtain temporary residency status? Stricken from the books. That cramped little apartment? Now there’s a working farm, with a big house being built on it. And all that nasty paper work? Done.

Because Russia needs families like theirs: big, conservative, gullible families who will say and do all the right things at all the right times in order to be able to live their lives free of the stresses of that evil liberalism back in Canada. The poster children for Putin’s Pet Propagation Project.

But that’s just one family. What about all those young Russian couples making like rabbits in their workplaces? How are they taking this new edict from the Kremlin? Apart from the big after-lunch smiles and the clearer skin, what do they think about Putin’s rationalization for this Soviet-style ten-year plan?

And for that matter, exactly what was his explanation?

Well, for that we have to go back to January of this year, and the launch of the nationwide fertility program transparently disguised as “The Year of the Family.” At the opening of the exposition — the complete program of which defies description — Vladimir Putin held his captive audience . . . well . . . captive with a painfully long welcoming speech.

Here are just a few of the highlights:

“The main purpose of the family is about having children, about procreation, and thus, the perpetuation of our people and our centuries-old history. Our culture, identity, national character are rooted in the family.” [President of Russia News, January 23, 2024.]

“I have just met with the winners of the Family of the Year contest and participants in the This Runs in Our Family contest, which is a fairly recent event, but has become widely popular. Most of the families that attended the meeting were large families. They are now here, behind me, on this stage, as I said before. Let’s welcome them.” [Id.]

“It is important for us to have more large families . . .” [Id.]

“As you may be aware, the Executive Order of state support for large families was signed yesterday and released today. It defines the status of a large family as a family with three or more children, established indefinitely. The social support is provided to each of the children under 18, or under 23 if they are full-time students at a university or college.” [Id.]

“The decision to make the status of large families uniform nationwide is primarily important to ensure that such families have access to social support measures in every region in Russia, so that they can travel or move from region to region and be sure that they are entitled to the same measures of state support everywhere.” [Id.]

And so on, for another dozen or so schmaltz-filled paragraphs.

*. *. *

So . . . this gigantic love-in is not merely taking place in the offices and shops of Moscow and St. Petersburg. All over Russia — from the far-flung farmlands, through the tundra and the taiga, to the docks of Vladivostok — there’s a whole lotta lovin’ goin’ on. And it’s all in the name of Mother Russia.

Speaking of which, let us not overlook the opportunity for a bit of old-fashioned, Soviet-style patriotism as Putin approached the conclusion of his monologue:

“Family values are fostered from childhood and not forgotten the minute we leave the parental home — they are embodied in our devotion to our country, in the courage of soldiers and officers — today’s fighters in the special military operation — in each person’s work for the common good. This includes the selfless effort of volunteers, and the people’s heartfelt support for our heroes, our fighters on the frontlines.”

“Undoubtedly, family values consolidate society. I will say more: Russia itself is indeed a huge family, a family of families. That is how different ethnic groups have lived here together in peace and perfect harmony for centuries, and the diversity of their cultures, languages, and customs never divided them, no — on the contrary, it keeps Russia together. Because we share the values of a large, close-knit family — they make us stronger, more confident, and united.” [Id.] [Bold emphasis is mine.]

I don’t know what parallel universe Vladimir Putin has been living in; or whether his speech writers have simply been taking advanced courses in fiction writing; or whether that last paragraph was copied from an old, archived speech of Nikita Khrushchev’s. But the only thing missing is the background string music, or perhaps a rousing chorus of the Internationale.

*. *. *

But what if you’re a 20-something or 30-something, 21st-Century professional who doesn’t want to bring three or more children into this scary world? What do you do?

I’ll tell you what you don’t do: you don’t talk about it. Not to anyone, because sadly, these are again times when it’s nearly impossible to know whom to trust. And there is now a law being pushed through the Russian Parliament banning a “child-free ideology,” and stating that “promoting life without children is a hostile ideology that threatens the country’s traditional values.” The penalty for violating that law could be as high as $4,300 for an individual or $50,000 for a company or organization. [Ajila Obradovic, RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty, October 13, 2024.]

That’s right: it’s about to become law. So if your neighbor or your best friend asks you how many children you’re planning on having, just tell her “six,” and change the subject.

Because the times, they are a-changing . . . and, in Russia, not for the better.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/17/24

Here we go again.

My first thought — upon reading that French researcher Laurent Vinatier had been found guilty of failure to register as a “foreign agent” in Russia and sentenced to three years in prison — was that he might have been taken as bait for a possible swap with French authorities for Telegram messaging service’s billionaire CEO, Russian-born Pavel Durov. But Vinatier was first detained in June of this year, while Durov wasn’t arrested in France until August. So I was mistaken . . . but it was a plausible scenario. And who knows what the future might bring?

In the meantime, Laurent Vinatier stands convicted of “collecting military information of value to foreign intelligence services.” [Reuters, October 14, 2024.] And he admitted to having researched military-related information . . . but not for the purpose of intelligence-gathering. However, under Russian law, people are required to register as foreign agents if they are involved in political activity or collection of military information while receiving financial or other help from abroad. [Id.]

Vinatier is an employee of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD), a Swiss-based conflict mediation organization, and is said by fellow academics to be a respected scholar involved in legitimate research. In a statement following Vinatier’s arrest, HD said that its staff work globally and “routinely meet with a wide range of officials, experts and other parties with the aim of advancing efforts to prevent, mitigate and resolve armed conflict.” [Id.]

The French Foreign Ministry has said that Vinatier is being arbitrarily detained, and has called for his immediate release:

“The legislation on ‘foreign agents’ contributes to a systematic violation of fundamental freedoms in Russia, such as freedom of association, freedom of opinion and freedom of expression. French authorities remain fully mobilized to provide assistance [to Vinatier].” [Id.]

Speaking in his own defense, Vinatier asked for a “fair and lenient” decision, saying that he has children and elderly parents dependent on him. He added:

“I am not afraid to say that I fell in love with Russia. This is confirmed by my personal life — my wife is Russian, my friends are Russian. I lived a Russian life and still, even the last four months [while in detention], I have been living in a Russian atmosphere.” [Id.]

The “fair and lenient” decision of the Russian court was a three-year prison sentence.

And so M. Vinatier joins our list of Putin’s hostages, being held in Russian prisons on fabricated charges for purely political reasons . . . yet another example of Russian justice.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/16/24