French cops cuff Russian pro basketball player on ransomware charges
(2025/07/11)
- Reference: 1752215351
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2025/07/11/french_ransomware_arrest/
- Source link:
A Russian professional basketball player is cooling his heels in a French detention center after being arrested and accused of acting as a negotiator for a ransomware gang.
Daniil Kasatkin, 26, was arrested at Charles de Gaulle Airport outside Paris on June 21 after flying in with his fiancée, to whom he had just proposed, according to [1]AFP . He's currently being held pending extradition to the US to face charges of "conspiracy to commit computer fraud" and "computer fraud conspiracy."
Kasatkin is accused of being part of an as-yet unnamed ransomware gang that operated between 2020 and 2022 and allegedly hit around 900 organizations, including two US federal agencies. The Russian embassy in France [2]publicly complained on Thursday that the local authorities are blocking attempts to meet with Kasatkin, and his French lawyer has been loudly protesting his innocence.
[3]
"He bought a second-hand computer. He did absolutely nothing. He's stunned," his lawyer, Frédéric Bélot, told AFP. "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."
[4]
Kasatkin briefly played at Penn State University during the 2018–19 season before turning pro with MBA-MAI (aka MBA Moscow). He also represented Russia on its youth national teams. He left the team on July 3 after his arrest, and his lawyer protested that his career could be harmed by an extended stay in detention.
Another of his lawyers, Vladimir Sarukhanov, [5]told Izvestia that the player had been accused of being a ransomware negotiator, but that he had "an ironclad alibi for this." However, he complained that the French authorities were being too slow in checking the evidence against his client.
[6]
Ransomware negotiators are [7]skilled operators and for companies trying to regain or protect data such talks can be a prolonged operation.
So far, the US has released no statement or evidence of crimes committed, and the Department of Justice had no comment at time of going to press. ®
Get our [8]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2025/07/09/piraterie-informatique-un-basketteur-russe-arrete-et-place-en-detention-en-france-a-la-demande-des-etats-unis_6620247_3210.html
[2] https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=728412899786689&set=a.117869984174320
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/cybercrime&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aHDgt1gSB4nstdO9_2kW6QAAAMk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/cybercrime&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aHDgt1gSB4nstdO9_2kW6QAAAMk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://en.iz.ru/en/1918640/mikele-antonov/hacker-move-why-russian-basketball-player-was-arrested-france
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/cybercrime&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aHDgt1gSB4nstdO9_2kW6QAAAMk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2025/06/06/ransomware_negotiation/
[8] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Daniil Kasatkin, 26, was arrested at Charles de Gaulle Airport outside Paris on June 21 after flying in with his fiancée, to whom he had just proposed, according to [1]AFP . He's currently being held pending extradition to the US to face charges of "conspiracy to commit computer fraud" and "computer fraud conspiracy."
Kasatkin is accused of being part of an as-yet unnamed ransomware gang that operated between 2020 and 2022 and allegedly hit around 900 organizations, including two US federal agencies. The Russian embassy in France [2]publicly complained on Thursday that the local authorities are blocking attempts to meet with Kasatkin, and his French lawyer has been loudly protesting his innocence.
[3]
"He bought a second-hand computer. He did absolutely nothing. He's stunned," his lawyer, Frédéric Bélot, told AFP. "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."
[4]
Kasatkin briefly played at Penn State University during the 2018–19 season before turning pro with MBA-MAI (aka MBA Moscow). He also represented Russia on its youth national teams. He left the team on July 3 after his arrest, and his lawyer protested that his career could be harmed by an extended stay in detention.
Another of his lawyers, Vladimir Sarukhanov, [5]told Izvestia that the player had been accused of being a ransomware negotiator, but that he had "an ironclad alibi for this." However, he complained that the French authorities were being too slow in checking the evidence against his client.
[6]
Ransomware negotiators are [7]skilled operators and for companies trying to regain or protect data such talks can be a prolonged operation.
So far, the US has released no statement or evidence of crimes committed, and the Department of Justice had no comment at time of going to press. ®
Get our [8]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2025/07/09/piraterie-informatique-un-basketteur-russe-arrete-et-place-en-detention-en-france-a-la-demande-des-etats-unis_6620247_3210.html
[2] https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=728412899786689&set=a.117869984174320
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/cybercrime&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aHDgt1gSB4nstdO9_2kW6QAAAMk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/cybercrime&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aHDgt1gSB4nstdO9_2kW6QAAAMk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://en.iz.ru/en/1918640/mikele-antonov/hacker-move-why-russian-basketball-player-was-arrested-france
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/cybercrime&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aHDgt1gSB4nstdO9_2kW6QAAAMk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2025/06/06/ransomware_negotiation/
[8] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: "He's useless with computers and can't even install an application"
Phil O'Sophical
But aren't the worst serial killers always the ones who look least like killers?
Re: "He's useless with computers and can't even install an application"
the hatter
As if you need to be some kind of computer whizz to negotiate a deal. Seems like a pro basketball player has more reason to be travelling internationally than some random russian. Whether a random manager or basketball players always negotiates the best deal is open to question, but I don't see why that precludes the arrestee from possibly being guilty as charged.
"He's useless with computers and can't even install an application"
Funny how many managers I know who would fit that description.
He's a basketball player. That's hardly your typical description of a hacker. I hope things will get cleared out for him, and quickly.