Russia has called on France to release Anna Novikova, a dual Russian-French national detained last year on suspicion of espionage, alleging she is being held on a “false pretext”.
Ms Novikova, who founded a humanitarian organisation reportedly providing aid to people in Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine, is one of three individuals identified by the Paris prosecutor’s office in November as suspected of spying for a foreign power.
French prosecutors claim she is suspected of approaching executives of French companies to obtain sensitive information regarding French economic interests.
Prosecutors did not identify the companies, or give any details about how she carried out the alleged activities and who she was in contact with.
Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, told reporters that Ms Novikova’s detention exemplified the “spy mania sweeping across Europe”.
She added: “We insist that the repression against individuals whose only crime is to express an opinion that differs from the official line in Paris must cease immediately.”
Novikova is in a French pre-trial detention facility, according to her husband, who added that a legal representative for Novikova had not yet been appointed.
Her detainment comes at a time of deep concern in Europe that Russia is pursuing “hybrid warfare” to undermine Kyiv’s allies as it wages war in Ukraine.
Hybrid warfare is a term used to describe non-military acts of hostility such as disinformation, sabotage and influence campaigns.
French President Emmanuel Macron said last week Russia was using proxy groups to threaten Europe and France, including through hybrid warfare methods.
Novikova’s husband told Reuters he could not comment about the specifics of the charges but that his wife sincerely believed in her humanitarian mission.
He said he found it “unbelievable” that she would be involved in espionage, adding: “It just does not tally with her psychology.
Novikova’s husband spoke to Reuters on condition his name not be published, citing his wish to protect the privacy of the couple’s young children.
In a 2023 interview posted on the Telegram channel of SOS Donbass, the organisation she founded, Novikova said: “I am just an ordinary woman.”
Referring to Russia’s federal security service, she said, when asked by the interviewer to introduce herself and the work of her organisation: “I’m not an agent of the Kremlin or the FSB.”