The Basmanny District Court of Moscow, Russia, has ordered the in-absentia arrest of Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) correspondent Michael Martens on charges of incitement to hatred and enmity. The reporter was investigated for asking Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a question during a press conference in Belgrade on 8 August, the Russian Meduza reports, citing the propaganda outlet TASS.
Martens had asked Zelensky, “Can you tell us Europeans what can we concretely do to help you kill more Russians? More Russian soldiers, of course.”
The FAZ team later described the question as phrased “ambiguously” and “misleadingly”, adding that their editorial policy did not support calls to kill Russian servicemembers.
The German Association of Journalists (DJV) sharply criticised Moscow’s actions. “What questions journalists ask at a press conference is not a matter for the judiciary — including Russia’s,” said DJV Chair Mika Beuster.
The Association called on the German authorities to remain vigilant in light of potential investigations. “There must be no show trial against a German journalist in Moscow,” Beuster warned.
News of the investigation against Martens first emerged on 14 August, when Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs put him on a wanted list.
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Russia opened a case against Martens under Article 282, Part 2 of the Russian Criminal Code (public incitement of hatred or enmity). The maximum penalty under this article is six years in prison.
Martens later explained that his question had been a reference to a WW2-era Winston Churchill quote regarding support for Yugoslav partisans.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova and the Russian embassy in Germany stated that such remarks were unacceptable.