Dmitry Bagrash, anti-Putin activist and chairman of Unkremlin e.V., urgently seeks a criminal defense attorney to pursue case review and to counter the threat of deportation to Russia — which would put his life in immediate danger.
The Berlin Public Prosecutor's Office and the Berlin Senate of Justice have played an active, documented role in this case that goes far beyond ordinary criminal prosecution. Previous defense attorneys were systematically denied access to case files and subjected to institutional pressure. An attorney from outside Berlin — ideally from another German federal state — provides the structural independence essential for effective representation.
The attorney must be prepared for requests for access to case files to initially receive no response whatsoever. Upon follow-up, the explanation will be that the files are currently unavailable — their whereabouts unknown, possibly somewhere in the Orion constellation — and will naturally be provided immediately upon their return. This is not hyperbole; it is documented practice. We are looking for an attorney with resilience and the determination to pursue every legal avenue available.
The verdict of the Berlin Regional Court (Landgericht) dated 22 July 2024 was amended on 30 July 2025 — 373 days after pronouncement and 84 days after it became legally final — via a so-called "correction order": the complete chain of legal norms was inserted into the verdict for the first time, allegedly to correct an "obvious clerical error."
In substance, this constitutes a material amendment to the operative part of the verdict after it became final — an unprecedented act in German law. The complaint against the correction order filed on 26–27 August 2025, contrary to the mandatory provisions of § 306(2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, was not referred to the Berlin Court of Appeal (Kammergericht) but redirected internally to the General Prosecutor's Office.
📄 Evidence: Wachs and Groß 📄 Deception as modus operandiChief Prosecutor Klaus Michael Wachs closed the investigation into the arson of Bagrash's vehicle and the surveillance of his person on the grounds that Russian intelligence involvement was "implausible": had they sought to frame him, they would have informed German authorities anonymously. Wachs and Judge Groß also repeatedly insisted that Bagrash's political activities were "wholly insignificant" and could not have attracted intelligence service attention.
On this basis, OSCE report No. 519702, dated 17 April 2022 — which documents Bagrash's activities in detail and refutes the claim of insignificance — was withheld from the court. After sentencing, it emerged that Wachs was aware that Bagrash's name had appeared in Russian state media as a suspect from the very beginning, through Sergei Feoktistov, a senior figure in Russian state media. Wachs had thus knowingly misled the court.
📄 OSCE Document No. 519702 📄 OSCE Document No. 499582 📄 Feoktistov DossierFollowing sentencing, Judge VRiLG Groß imposed a regime of near-total isolation: 116 days without contact with the Jewish community, supplementary appeals were not forwarded to the reviewing court, and the court clerk was prohibited from accepting such submissions. In addition, Judge Groß deliberately misinformed Bagrash about the deadlines and procedures for filing supplementary grounds of appeal — misinformation that structurally undermined the entire appeal.
All events are supported by sworn affidavits. Criminal complaints have been filed for document falsification (a manipulated notice of legal remedies — Rechtsmittelbelehrung), obstruction of justice, and coercion — without any response from supervisory authorities.
📄 Deception as modus operandi (full document)The attorney should apply for full access to all prison-held documents and challenge the documented practice by which early release and transfer to an open prison are made contingent on a single condition: Bagrash must abandon his public fight for case review and remain silent.
As an additional coercive lever, deportation to Russia is held in prospect — a country where Bagrash, as a prominent anti-Putin activist and chairman of Unkremlin e.V., would face an immediate threat to his life. This constitutes a violation of Article 3 ECHR and the absolute prohibition of refoulement.
Bagrash seeks an attorney who will request all case files and court records in full, conduct an independent legal assessment of the entire proceedings, and act as official spokesperson to the press — nationally and internationally.
The attorney should also coordinate engagement with the ongoing ECHR complaint (313 pages, Rule 39) and establish contact with UN Special Rapporteurs on Torture and Political Persecution. The connection to the Breitscheidplatz parliamentary investigation committee — to which Chief Prosecutor Wachs is also linked — should likewise be examined.
📄 All Documents (Google Drive)The Berlin Public Prosecutor's Office and the Senate of Justice will initially not respond at all to requests for access to case files. Upon follow-up, they will advise that the files are currently in an unspecified location — and will be provided immediately once located. This is documented pattern, not speculation.
The attorney must be prepared to pursue every legal remedy persistently: complaints for inaction, supervisory complaints, and if necessary, administrative court proceedings. What is needed is someone who has dealt with obstinate authorities and knows how to prevail.
Bagrash is fully aware of these obstacles and is explicitly looking for an attorney who is willing to take on the case regardless.
If you are a criminal defense attorney based outside Berlin — or know one — and are prepared to take on this exceptional case, please make contact urgently. All materials can be transferred immediately following an initial conversation.
Dmitry Bagrash can be reached at the following address.
Subject line: "Bagrash Defense"
All enquiries are treated in strict confidence.
Documents: Full Document Index · Deception as modus operandi · Current Proceedings