MOSCOW (Reuters) -A Russian citizen detained in France for “destabilising” the Olympics has been placed under house arrest, Russian state news agency RIA reported, citing the Russian embassy in Paris.
French police said in July they had arrested a 40-year-old Russian man days before the start of the Paris Games after finding evidence at his home that raised “fears of his intention to organise events likely to cause destabilisation during the Olympic Games”.
RIA cited the Russian embassy as saying relatives of the man, whom it identified as Kirill Gryaznov, had informed them that he been placed under house arrest.
RIA said the French prosecutor’s office had told the agency that Gryaznov faced up to 30 years in prison on charges of helping a foreign state to foment disorder in France.
There was no immediate comment from French authorities on the matter.
Relations between France and Russia have deteriorated sharply since Moscow sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022.
Earlier this month a court in Moscow handed out a three-year jail sentence to a French researcher, Laurent Vinatier, for violations of Russia’s law against “foreign agents”.
(Writing by Felix Light; Editing by Mark Trevelyan and Gareth Jones)
