How I "insulted" the Berlin Public Prosecutor's Office

Dear friends,

I will now tell you about the events that preceded my arrest on charges of alleged attempted murder. The story is about how I "insulted" the Berlin Public Prosecutor's Office and disrupted the plans of the Putin administration. What came of it?

This story has 5 parts:

1. On the significance of elections in Putin's Russia and whether it is possible to prevent the falsification of Russian elections in Germany for 400 euros.
2. On the Putin figure and the inscription "Putin is a Killer".
3. The thriller about the attempt to disrupt the demonstration on 17 September 2021.
4. Conclusions.
5. Connection to the attempted murder charge.

Part 1: The Significance of Russian Elections

On 19 September 2021, elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation took place. Everyone in Russia and the post-Soviet countries who takes even a modest interest in politics knows perfectly well: the results are completely falsified, inconvenient candidates are not allowed to stand, and the voting results are manipulated.

Queue outside the Russian Embassy in Berlin on election day, 19.09.2021

That is why from 17 to 20 September 2021 I organised a round-the-clock demonstration in front of the entrance to the Russian Embassy in Berlin. There I erected large stands — in German and English — with the stories of candidates who had been barred from standing.

Part 2: The Putin Figure and the Sign "Putin is a Killer"

27.02.2021 outside the Russian Embassy — anniversary of Boris Nemtsov's murder. First appearance of the banner "Putin is a Killer"

Round-the-clock Democracy Camp, 09.04.–09.05.2021 at the Brandenburg Gate

I first made a plywood Putin in August/September 2020, when I organised the first demonstration outside the Russian Embassy. The "Putin is a Killer" banner appeared for the first time on 27 February 2021 — on the anniversary of Boris Nemtsov's murder.

From 9 April to 9 May 2021 we set up a round-the-clock camp at the Brandenburg Gate. Putin stood at the centre in front of the "Alley of Victims" bearing the inscription "Putin is a Killer". About 95% of passers-by took selfies — including police officers.

Part 3: The Attempt to Disrupt the Demonstration on 17 September 2021

Case reference: (348Gs)231 Js 3707/21 (3115/21)

The "Putin is a Killer" banner on 17.09.2021 — confiscated on the personal order of OStA Raupach

The restored banner with quotation marks — the officer said: "Great idea, then I can disregard Raupach's order"

On the morning of 17 September 2021 the same police officer arrived who had helped set up the "Alley of Victims" the day before. He said he had bad news: Senior Public Prosecutor Raupach had instructed him to confiscate the plywood Putin and the "Putin is a Killer" sign immediately.

I suggested painting quotation marks on the sign and presenting "Putin is a Killer" as a quote by Joe Biden. The officer liked the idea, but Raupach insisted on immediate confiscation.

After the officers had loaded the sign into their car, I told the officer that I would restore the inscription immediately — this time with quotation marks. The officer replied, word for word:

"Great idea — then I can disregard the order of Chief Prosecutor Raupach, and everything will be fine."

BILD, 20.09.2021 — article by Julian Röpcke on the police intervention at Bagrash's demonstration

Fortunately for us, a German journalist happened to be nearby and filmed everything. On 20 September 2021, Julian Röpcke published an article in BILD with a description and photographs.

Criminal proceedings were opened against me for insulting the President of the Russian Federation. A few months later the case was dropped under § 170 StPO.

On 5 October 2021, Judge Dr Fricke at the Tiergarten District Court confirmed the lawfulness of the confiscation of the "Putin is a Killer" sign. The same Judge Dr Fricke issued an arrest warrant against me on 14 December 2022 in connection with a charge of attempted murder.

Part 4: Conclusions

The questions that remain unanswered:

• Who wanted to disrupt the Unkremlin e.V. action on Russian election day?
• Did this action harm Germany in any way? No — the organiser was me and Unkremlin e.V., relieving the German government of any responsibility.
• Was this action illegal? No — the case was dropped.

Part 5: Connection to the Attempted Murder Charge

On 22 July 2024, Dmitry Bagrash was sentenced by the Berlin Regional Court to 5 years and 4 months' imprisonment for attempted murder. The verdict is not final.

• Judge Dr Fricke — the same judge who confirmed the confiscation of the sign in 2021 issued the arrest warrant in 2022.
• OSCE mentions — on 24.09.2021 and 08.04.2022 the Russian delegation expressly named Unkremlin e.V. as a politically dangerous organisation.
• Judge Groß explicitly expressed displeasure at Bagrash's anti-Putin activities during the criminal proceedings.

For further details see Case 1 and Analysis.

Original Documents & Download

All original documents are available in Google Drive: