A French political adviser detained in Moscow last month is to remain in custody until August 5 for allegedly collecting Russian military information, after a Moscow court denied his appeal on Thursday.
The man, who works for the Geneva-based Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD), is an adviser on HD’s Eurasia team. He is a French national who lives in Switzerland and travels regularly for his work, HD said in a statement
The Swiss-based non-governmental organization (NGO) said in June it was also seeking clarification from the Russian authorities regarding the allegations against its employee.
HD said that, as an independent organization, it conducts talks with officials, experts and other parties around the world, for example with a view to resolving armed conflicts.
However, the Russian domestic intelligence service FSB said the man admitted to gathering information that could be used by foreign intelligence services and thus harm Moscow's security interests.
He collected information on military and defence technology in Russia, the FSB said. He had not registered as a so-called foreign agent when collecting information during several visits to Russia, it added.
The man admitted this in court, the FSB said.
According to Russian criminal law, this is punishable by up to five years in prison or forced labour.
The man was detained before Switzerland hosted a major international Ukraine peace conference in mid-June at Ukraine's behest as Kiev seeks to gather support to repel the ongoing full-scale Russian invasion, launched in 2022. Moscow was not invited to the talks.
Russian authorities have repeatedly detained foreigners as a way of exerting pressure on other states and using them to bargain in potential prisoner exchanges.
Under Russia's foreign agent law, organizations and individuals that are fully or partially financed from abroad must register. In the increasingly repressive atmosphere in Russia, this law is often used to brand critics and restrict their contacts in the country.