France is considering extraditing Vladimir Antonov to Lithuania following a journalistic investigation that led to his arrest in Baden.
The Investigative Chamber of the Rennes Court of Appeal is considering a request for the extradition to Lithuania of Vladimir Antonov, a Russian citizen and former owner of the Lithuanian bank Snoras and Latvijas Krājbanka, who was detained in Baden (Morbihan department, Brittany region) on December 9, 2025.
Vladimir Antonov was convicted in absentia in Lithuania, and his arrest occurred pursuant to a European arrest warrant issued by the Lithuanian Prosecutor General's Office. “Extradition proceedings based on the European arrest warrant have been initiated,” stated Prosecutor General Nida Grunskienė. She added that there is no information yet on the exact timing of Antonov's transfer to Lithuania, nor on the whereabouts of former Snoras CEO Raimondas Baranauskas.
History of collapse and “abduction”
Antonov owned Latvijas Krājbanka both directly and through Snoras. At the end of 2011, Snoras was nationalized, after which both banks ceased operations. Latvijas Krājbanka suffered a 100 million lat (142 million euro) shortfall, and on December 23, the Riga Regional Court declared the bank insolvent. Among the victims was maestro Raimonds Pauls, who lost 700,000 lats (about a million euros)—he was only reimbursed the 70,000 lats guaranteed by the state.
In November 2024, the Vilnius Regional Court sentenced Antonov and Baranauskas in absentia to 10.5 years in prison for eight premeditated crimes, finding Antonov to be their primary organizer. They were also ordered to pay hundreds of millions of euros in compensation. The court ordered the seizure of their assets in Lithuania, the United Kingdom, and France.
Antonov's path to this arrest was a winding one. In 2015, British courts decided to extradite him to Lithuania, but the banker fled London for Russia. In 2018, Russia denied his extradition to Lithuania. Later, in 2019, Antonov was sentenced in St. Petersburg for fraud with the assets of Sovetsky Bank, but his prison sentence was commuted to house arrest.
According to Kompromat.lv, Antonov cooperated with Russian intelligence agencies. The source managed to photograph the fugitive banker's notebook, where the username “Mikh T” appears to be Mikhail Tarakanov, acting head of the 6th Service of the 9th Directorate of the Internal Security Directorate (ISD) of the FSB. This service is responsible for uncovering corruption and treason among FSB officers and other security agencies.
Tarakanov, according to sources, participated in the defense of closed witnesses in the “Moldovan case” – a large-scale money laundering scheme through Moldovan banks amounting to approximately 20 billion euros, uncovered in 2019-2020 (Russian Laundromat).
In addition, the notebook, under the nickname “Mikh 6,” mentions an operative for especially important cases of the same 6th service, Mikhail Melsitov, associated with operations to combat organized crime in the special services.
According to sources, these contacts provided Antonov with the opportunity not only to flee Russia but also to legalize his status in Europe.
Staging a death, FSB handlers, and a “Ukrainian connection”
In June 2023, Antonov suddenly disappeared from his estate in the Moscow region. His father reported a possible kidnapping or murder. Russian media, citing the Telegram channel “VChK OGPU,” spread the theory that the banker had died, and a Vilnius court even received a declaration declaring him dead.
However, as journalist Leonid Yakobson's investigation established, the “disappearance” was a carefully orchestrated staging. Antonov altered his appearance (specifically, by removing a prominent mole on his face) and legalized his status in Europe using forged documents in the name of Ukrainian citizen Volodymyr Ivanov.
In June 2025, Kompromat.lv published evidence: Antonov was alive and had applied for asylum in France as a refugee from Ukraine.
From Vladimir Alexandrovich Antonov (born June 20, 1975), he “transformed” into Volodymyr Oleksandrovich Ivanov (born February 15, 1976). In his questionnaire for Ofpra (the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons), he stated that he was born in Yalta, lived in Kyiv, and allegedly fled forced conscription, citing chronic illnesses. He also stated that he was married to a Russian citizen and had four children, the eldest of whom were studying in the UK. He also announced his intention to found an IT company in France.
Court in Rennes
Kompromat.lv's series of publications concluded with the arrest of Vladimir Antonov. Since March 2025, he had been renting a house in Baden with a breathtaking view of the Gulf of Morbihan, hidden from neighbors and equipped with an 18-meter swimming pool. The entrance to the residence was closed by a barrier with an electronic access control system.
On December 18, 2025, Antonov was brought to court from the Rennes-Vezin (Vezin-le-Coquet) pre-trial detention center.
According to Franceinfo, Antonov appeared tired at the hearing and complained about the conditions of his detention: “They're treating me like a terrorist.” He denies guilt and claims political persecution: “Many people want me dead. My father survived two assassination attempts… A year ago, they tried to kidnap me.”
“I have a known address in France, I have nowhere to run (…),” he added. “I'm not a socially dangerous element, but they treat me like a terrorist.”
Antonov is insisting on house arrest under electronic surveillance, claiming that his lawyer is ready to provide “documents of exceptional importance” proving his innocence.
The extradition case is ongoing. France traditionally takes a long time to process such requests, especially if the defense asserts that the extradited person's life is at risk.
