French National Arrested in Russia’s Far East, Diplomatic

Putin’s Supreme Court Pick Heralds Further State Appropriation of Assets

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A French national was arrested in Russia’s Far East and placed in pre-trial detention, French diplomatic

The

French media identified the man as Sofiane Sehili, 44, an ultra-endurance cyclist who had sought to set a record crossing Europe.

Le Monde reported on Friday that he was arrested in the Pacific port city of Vladivostok on suspicion of illegally crossing the border. The state-run TASS news agency, citing local

On his personal website, Sehili describes himself as an ultra-endurance racer and adventure cyclist based in southwestern France.

“I live and breathe for cycling,” he wrote. “A pure and unaltered passion that has shaped my life for the past fifteen years.”

The case comes more than a year after another French national, Laurent Vinatier, who is a researcher with a Swiss conflict mediation group, was arrested in Russia and later convicted under the country’s “foreign agents” law.

France condemned the arrest of Vinatier as politically motivated. Russian

France and the U.S. have accused Moscow of engaging in “hostage diplomacy”

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