French police arrest 4 suspects in plot against exiled Russian activist Osechkin

French police have detained four people suspected of plotting against exiled Russian rights activist Vladimir Osechkin, who exposes abuses in Russian prisons, the country’s national anti-terror prosecution office said.

In an interview with the Associated Press on Friday, Osechkin, founder of a group for Russian prisoners, said he believed Russia’s security services were behind the plot after seeing video evidence from French authorities, including footage of his home.

“I saw how everyone was filming, how they prepared the sites from which to shoot,” he told the AP, adding he believes “this was an expensive special operation, sanctioned and financed from Moscow.”

France’s counter-espionage agency, the General Directorate for Internal Security, has led the investigation. The four men, aged 26 to 38, were detained Monday. Authorities did not provide details on their nationalities, motives, or possible foreign links. Osechkin said he thinks some of the suspects are from Dagestan, a region in southern Russia.

The suspects are being held on preliminary terror-related charges while the investigation continues. French officials did not confirm any attempt on Osechkin’s life, and Russia’s Foreign Ministry did not respond immediately to the allegations.

Western officials say Russia has run a broader campaign of sabotage and hybrid warfare targeting European allies of Ukraine. This reportedly includes arson, cyberattacks, espionage, and threats to exiled opponents. Some of the alleged targets have included Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Poland and a German arms manufacturer supplying Ukraine. The Kremlin has denied these claims.

Osechkin has long feared assassination due to his activism, even while living in Biarritz, France. He said the suspects “circled the area” where he livestreams and scouted escape routes. French police have provided him protection, often moving him and his family to safe houses when threats arise. “Those who were arrested are just a part of the overall picture, they are part of a big team,” he said.

Osechkin fled Russia seeking asylum in France after facing pressure over his prison activism. His group, Gulagu.net, documents alleged torture and corruption in Russian prisons and revealed Russia’s military recruitment of prisoners for Ukraine. The group also helped bring Russian fugitive paratrooper Pavel Filatiev to France in 2022, who exposed corruption in the Russian military.

Other critics of the Kremlin have been killed, including Russian helicopter pilot Maxim Kuzminov, whose body was found in Spain in 2024 after fleeing to Ukraine. Osechkin warned that attacks like these are not only meant to target him personally.

“This isn’t just about the killing of me as an individual,” he said. The aim is also “to frighten other human rights activists into reducing their activity or stopping it altogether.”