Basketball player Daniil Kasatkin was detained in France at the request of the United States. What is known

Russian basketball player Daniil Kasatkin was detained on June 21 in France at the request of the United States. He was placed in custody pending an official arrest warrant from the American authorities. The 26-year-old athlete is suspected of collaborating with hackers and negotiating a ransom with hacked companies. What is known about the Kasatkin case is in the Izvestia article.

Who is Daniil Kasatkin?

Daniil Kasatkin was born in 1999 in Vichug, Ivanovo region. As a child, he was involved in gymnastics, but because of his height he switched to basketball, enrolling in the junior school of CSKA Moscow. In 2015, he was recognized as the most valuable player of the Russian Junior championship among players of his age.

• In 2016, Kasatkin moved to the United States to play and study, while continuing to play in the Russian junior national team. For two years, he played for the Mountain Mission School in Virginia, getting into its starting lineup. Then he enrolled at Penn State University and began competing in the National Collegiate Athletic Association championship — in basketball, this is the first step towards a career in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Hacker move: why a Russian basketball player was arrested in France

Daniil Kasatkin is suspected of participating in an international group engaged in extortion through cyber attacks.

Kasatkin failed to build a professional career in the United States, and in 2019 he returned to Russia, continuing his studies at an American university. He spent two seasons with Khimki-Moscow Region in the Super League 1 (the second division of the Russian championship), after which he moved to the Moscow club IBA-MAI, which has been playing in the VTB United League since 2022.

• As part of this team, which rejected foreign players in the squad, Kasatkin twice became the bronze medalist of the Cup of Russia and took sixth place in the national championship. In 2024, Kasatkin played for the adult Russian national team. Kasatkin's contract with IBA-MAI was terminated on July 3, when he was already detained in France, but this was not publicly known.

How Kasatkin was detained

On June 21, Kasatkin flew to Paris with his girlfriend. The media reported that he allegedly wanted to propose to her in the French capital, but they have been engaged for a long time. The athlete was detained immediately upon arrival at Charles de Gaulle airport before passing through passport control. Two days later, Kasatkin was placed in custody.

On July 8, a court in Paris extended his arrest. The athlete's lawyers petitioned for another measure of restraint, such as release on bail or transfer to a distribution center, but Kasatkin remained in the detention center. Representatives of the Russian Embassy in France were not given consular access to the athlete.

• Kasatkin's lawyers reported that he had managed to lose 6 kg of weight during his two weeks in custody. He is allowed to make phone calls at his own expense with his parents and fiancee. Now the athlete's defense is trying to ensure that he is allowed to use the gym. Thanks to his knowledge of French, Kasatkin managed to adapt to new conditions to some extent.

What is Kasatkin suspected of?

• Kasatkin was detained at the request of the United States. There, he is suspected of involvement in the Conti hacker group, which operated from 2020 to 2022. She was hacking systems with the help of malware. About 900 organizations, including two US federal agencies, were affected by the hackers' actions.

Specifically, Kasatkin is charged with allegedly negotiating a ransom. The investigation indicates that the cyber attacks were carried out from the IP addresses of the University of Pennsylvania, where the basketball player studied. The American authorities have 60 days to issue a warrant under which he can be extradited to the United States.

• Lawyers categorically deny that Kasatkin could in any way be involved in hacking activities and be familiar with other intruders. During the period of the alleged crime, he was in Russia and played basketball. Now the athlete's defense is collecting documents to confirm the alibi.

• According to lawyers, when Kasatkin studied in the United States and was 17-18 years old, he bought a supported laptop for himself. Then, before returning to Russia, he reset the computer to factory settings and resold it to a classmate. It is assumed that hackers could then use this laptop. The lawyers also admit that Kasatkin could have already bought a compromised computer that previously belonged to cybercriminals.