• French researcher Laurent Vinatier jailed in Russia faces new espionage charges.
• Vinatier, already sentenced to three years for violating "foreign agent" laws, is set for a court hearing on espionage.
• The French government is demanding his release, calling his detention arbitrary.
• Charges come amid heightened diplomatic tensions between Russia and the West over the Ukraine situation.
• The espionage charges could result in a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

French researcher Laurent Vinatier, already imprisoned in Russia for violating the country’s “foreign agent” laws, now faces a new charge of espionage, according to court documents reported by Russian news agencies. Vinatier was sentenced in October to three years, and his appeal was dismissed in February, highlighting the challenges faced by Western individuals in Russia during ongoing geopolitical tensions, according to SCMP and Reuters.

The Russian FSB had accused Vinatier of failing to comply with registration requirements while allegedly gathering military information valuable to foreign intelligence. New documents from Moscow’s Lefortovo Court substantiate the espionage charges, with a hearing anticipated on August 25, indicating that Vinatier could face serious legal repercussions, according to Le Monde and Reuters.

His detention has prompted the French government to demand his release, asserting that Vinatier’s arrest forms part of a broader trend of Westerners being taken hostage amid deteriorating diplomatic relations with Russia, as noted by SCMP and Le Monde.