French authorities have apprehended four individuals suspected of involvement in a plot targeting Vladimir Osechkin, a prominent Russian human rights activist living in exile. Osechkin, the founder of Gulagu.net, has been a vocal critic of abuses within the Russian prison system. The arrests were made on Monday, as confirmed by France’s national anti-terror prosecution office, though details regarding the suspects’ nationalities and potential motives remain undisclosed. The investigation is being spearheaded by the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI), France’s counter-espionage and counterterrorism agency. Osechkin, who resides in Biarritz, a coastal town in southwestern France, has long expressed concerns about his safety, citing repeated death threats since 2022. Despite previous arrests following these threats, he believes the danger persists, often necessitating relocations to secure locations for himself and his family. Osechkin’s activism has drawn significant attention, particularly his revelations about Russia’s military recruiting prisoners to fight in Ukraine. His organization, Gulagu.net, has also facilitated the relocation of Russian fugitive paratrooper Pavel Filatiev to France, who has publicly criticized the Russian military’s leadership for incompetence and corruption. The DGSI’s ongoing investigation underscores broader concerns about Russian efforts to destabilize France through cyberattacks and other hybrid warfare tactics, part of a larger campaign targeting Ukraine’s European allies.
French police arrest 4 in alleged plot targeting exiled Russian activist Vladimir Osechkin
