**Russian Basketball Player Linked to Ransomware Gang Freed in Prisoner Swap with France**
A 26-year-old Russian basketball player, Daniil Kasatkin, was released in a prisoner exchange between Russia and France after being detained in Paris on U.S. extradition charges. Kasatkin, accused of serving as a negotiator for a ransomware gang, was freed in exchange for French researcher Laurent Vinatier, who had been sentenced to three years in Russia for violating "foreign agent" laws.
Kasatkin was arrested in June at Charles de Gaulle Airport upon arrival with his fiancée. U.S. prosecutors alleged he was involved with an unnamed ransomware group—later identified as the defunct Conti gang—that targeted approximately 900 organizations between 2020 and 2022. He faced charges of conspiracy to commit computer fraud.
While French officials reportedly informed the U.S. of the swap, the State Department did not comment on whether it had been consulted. Kasatkin’s lawyer denied the allegations, claiming they stemmed from a second-hand computer he purchased. A Russian sports Telegram channel suggested U.S. authorities had been tracking him since early 2025, with the arrest warrant issued just before his arrival in France.
The case follows recent U.S. extraditions of alleged cybercriminals, including another Conti member from Ireland in October and a prominent hacker from Ukraine last month. Kasatkin, who played basketball at Penn State University in 2018-2019 and later professionally in Moscow, was seen in a TASS video disembarking a plane as part of the exchange.
Source: https://therecord.media/france-frees-russian-basketball-player-ransomware-swap
Conti LLC cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/conti-llc
"id": "CON1767987227",
"linkid": "conti-llc",
"type": "Ransomware",
"date": "1/2026",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "5",
"explanation": "Attack threatening the organization's existence"{'affected_entities': [{'location': 'Worldwide',
'name': 'Approximately 900 organizations',
'type': 'Various'}],
'data_breach': {'data_encryption': 'Yes (ransomware-related)'},
'description': 'Daniil Kasatkin, a Russian basketball player, was detained in '
'France based on U.S. accusations of serving as a negotiator '
'for an unnamed ransomware gang that attacked approximately '
'900 organizations between 2020 and 2022. He was freed in a '
'prisoner exchange between Russia and France.',
'investigation_status': 'Ongoing (prior to prisoner exchange)',
'motivation': 'Financial gain',
'ransomware': {'data_encryption': 'Yes', 'ransomware_strain': 'Conti'},
'references': [{'source': 'TASS'},
{'source': 'AFP'},
{'source': 'U.S. Justice Department'}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'legal_actions': 'Conspiracy to commit computer '
'fraud (U.S. charges)'},
'response': {'law_enforcement_notified': 'Yes (U.S. and French authorities)'},
'threat_actor': 'Conti ransomware group (alleged)',
'title': 'Russian Basketball Player Accused of Ransomware Involvement Freed '
'in Prisoner Exchange',
'type': 'Ransomware'}