Conti: Basketball player arrested for alleged ransomware ties freed in Russia-France prisoner swap – DataBreaches.Net

**Russian Ransomware Suspect Freed in Prisoner Exchange with France**

A 26-year-old Russian basketball player, Daniil Kasatkin, was released in a high-profile prisoner swap between Russia and France. Kasatkin, accused of involvement in a major ransomware operation, was freed after being held in French custody since his June arrest at Paris’s Charles de Gaulle Airport.

U.S. prosecutors had sought Kasatkin’s extradition, alleging he served as a negotiator for an unnamed ransomware gang that targeted approximately 900 organizations between 2020 and 2022. The charges included conspiracy to commit computer fraud. While the gang was not officially identified, authorities linked the attacks to the now-defunct Conti ransomware group, which the U.S. Justice Department previously confirmed had victimized over 900 entities globally.

In exchange for Kasatkin’s release, France secured the return of Laurent Vinatier, a French researcher sentenced to three years in prison under Russia’s "foreign agent" laws. The swap was confirmed by Russian state media, which shared footage of Kasatkin disembarking from a plane following the exchange. The case underscores the intersection of cybercrime, international law, and geopolitical negotiations.

Source: https://databreaches.net/2026/01/10/basketball-player-arrested-for-alleged-ransomware-ties-freed-in-russia-france-prisoner-swap/

Continental cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/continental

"id": "CON1768059238",
"linkid": "continental",
"type": "Ransomware",
"date": "1/2026",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "5",
"explanation": "Attack threatening the organization's existence"

{'affected_entities': [{'location': 'Worldwide',
                        'name': 'Approximately 900 organizations'}],
 'data_breach': {'data_encryption': 'Yes (ransomware-related)'},
 'description': 'Daniil Kasatkin, a Russian basketball player, was freed in a '
                'prisoner exchange between Russia and France after being '
                'accused of serving as a negotiator for a ransomware gang that '
                'attacked approximately 900 organizations between 2020 and '
                '2022.',
 'investigation_status': 'Ongoing (prior to prisoner exchange)',
 'motivation': 'Financial gain',
 'ransomware': {'data_encryption': 'Yes', 'ransomware_strain': 'Conti'},
 'references': [{'source': 'Jonathan Greig (Reporter)'},
                {'source': 'TASS (Russian state news outlet)'}],
 'regulatory_compliance': {'legal_actions': 'Conspiracy to commit computer '
                                            'fraud (U.S. charges)'},
 'response': {'law_enforcement_notified': 'Yes (U.S. prosecutors, French '
                                          'authorities)'},
 'threat_actor': 'Conti ransomware group (alleged)',
 'title': 'Russian Basketball Player Accused in Ransomware Gang Freed in '
          'Prisoner Exchange',
 'type': 'Ransomware'}