France arrests and jails Russian pro baller on ransomware charges

No one’s gonna arrest a basketball player if they’re performing badly on the pitch. But Daniil Kasatkin, a Russian baller, was actually detained in France after being accused of acting as a negotiator for a ransomware gang.

According to the AFP news agency, Kasatkin – who is 26 – was actually arrested at the Charles de Gaulle Airport on June 21st. He flew in with his fiancée to whom he had just proposed, but was snatched and moved to a detention center.

This week, during a hearing where it was decided to keep the Russian national in custody, it turned out Kasatkin was actually arrested at the request of the United States, which suspects him of being part of a ransomware hacking network.

If the French authorities agree, Kasatkin – who most recently played for MBA-MAI, a basketball club in Moscow – will be extradited to the US to face charges of “conspiracy to commit computer fraud” and “computer fraud conspiracy.”

In simpler terms, he’s accused of belonging to an as-yet unnamed ransomware gang that operated between 2020 and 2022, allegedly targeting approximately 900 organizations, including two US federal agencies.

It’s unclear whether the gang is of Russian origin. However, the Russian embassy in Paris publicly complained this week that the local authorities were blocking attempts to meet with Kasatkin.

“We asked for consular access to our compatriot. Unfortunately, despite the steps taken, we have not yet been able to obtain it because of the position of the French authorities,” said the embassy on Facebook.

“This is not an isolated case: we are facing repeated delays in granting consular access to Russian citizens. We expect the French side to respect its international obligations.”

Kasatkin’s lawyer has also loudly protested his client’s innocence, telling AFP: “He bought a second-hand computer. He did absolutely nothing. He’s stunned.”

“He’s useless with computers and can’t even install an application. He didn’t touch anything on the computer: it was either hacked, or the hacker sold it to him to act under the cover of another person.”

Another of Kasatkin’s lawyers told the Izvestia newspaper that the arrested Russian national had “an ironclad alibi.” His health has allegedly deteriorated in prison, where he lost six kilograms (13 pounds).