Kasatkin Daniil Sergeyevich

Kasatkin Daniil Sergeyevich

Biography

2025: Detention in France on charges of ransomware attacks

On July 10, 2025, it became known about the detention in France, at the request of the United States, of Russian basketball player Daniil Kasatkin, who is accused of involvement in the activities of a hacker group related to ransomware malware. The 26-year-old athlete was arrested back in June 2025 immediately after arriving in France with his bride. An international extradition warrant has been issued against him, but no official comments have yet been received from the American side.

He bought a second-hand computer. He did absolutely nothing, - stressed Belo. - He is helpless in handling technology and cannot even install the application.

The MBA club, for which Kasatkin played 172 matches and won two bronze medals of the Russian Cup, expressed support for the player, calling him "a responsible and professional athlete." At the same time, in a statement dated July 3, 2025, the club announced the termination of the contract, but did not specify the reasons. Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed that the embassy in Paris is providing consular assistance to Kasatkin, but access to him has not yet been granted.

Our diplomats requested permission to visit, but there is no answer from the local authorities, - said the official representative of the department Maria Zakharova.

According to the Russian sports Telegram channel Mash on Sports, the American authorities have been following Kasatkin since the beginning of 2025, and a warrant for his arrest was issued the day before his arrival in France. The athlete maintains contact with the bride Anna, who remained in Paris and coordinates the work of lawyers. The couple had planned to have a wedding this year.^[1]

2026: Return to Russia as part of exchange for French scientist

On January 8, 2026 RUSSIAN FEDERATION , Russian basketball player Daniil Kasatkin returned, detained France at the request. USA He was exchanged for Russia Laurent Vinatier, a convicted French scientist (recognized in the Russian Federation as a foreign agent), who was sentenced to three years in prison for committing a crime under Part 3 of Art. 330.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Failure to comply with the obligation established by the legislation of the Russian Federation to submit to the authorized body documents necessary for inclusion in the register of foreign agents").

D. Kasatkin was exchanged for a citizen of the French Republic Vinatier Laurent Claude Jean-Louis, born in 1976, who, being an employee of the Swiss non-governmental non-profit organization Center for Humanitarian Dialogue, collected information of a military and military-technical nature, the FSB of Russia said.

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Фото: cyberscoop.com

Kasatkin was detained at the Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport on June 21, 2025 at the request of the United States. The American authorities suspect him of complicity in the activities of a hacker network that used ransomware viruses in attacks against a number of companies and federal institutions.

After his arrest, Kasatkin was in the Paris prison of Fren. On September 5, 2025, he was officially presented with a US extradition request and accompanying materials, but the Russian basketball player refused to agree to the extradition. As a result, the case was submitted to the Court of Appeal of Paris, which approved the request of the US authorities. To comply with the court's decision, it was required to obtain a visa from the Minister of Justice Gerald Darmanen, and then Prime Minister Sebastien Lecorneu, who ultimately did not sign the document. Kasatkin was sent by a special plane to Moscow, and Laurent Vinatier returned on the same flight to Paris (declared a foreign agent in the Russian Federation).^[2]

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