Dmitri Bagrash, or the story of how the FSB made the entire German Ministry of Justice look ridiculous

Let me say this at the outset: I do not intend to make fun of anyone. I simply wanted to understand an incredible, infinitely absurd story. You know me: when I start investigating, I get to the bottom of it. And this story shook even me. So I ask my friends and like-minded people to spread it as widely as possible. Because the central figure of this absurd drama, Dmitry Bagrash, faces the threat of deportation to Russia. Or should we say straight away: to his death?

But the most important thing is this: other central figures in the story are the German prosecution service and a German court, which Russian intelligence services made to look like naive fools. Yes, exactly that. And the Kremlin is rubbing its hands.

And one more thing: this story shows very clearly that Europe has no understanding of who the real Russian opposition is and readily falls for targeted disinformation from an entire Kremlin landing force that has long entrenched itself in the EU.

The well-known commentator, friend of Ukraine, human rights defender and entrepreneur Dmitry Bagrash is therefore to be deported to Russia. He was previously sentenced to five years and four months’ imprisonment for an alleged attempted murder of Russian journalists. On Monday, 22 July 2024, Landgericht Berlin (Berlin Regional Court) brought the proceedings against Russian dissident Dmitry Bagrash to a close; the prosecution had charged him with four sets of offences. The principal charge was an attempted arson attack on a building in western Berlin where RIA Novosti employees live.

And not a single media outlet wrote that before the trial Bagrash was placed in solitary confinement, completely isolated from the outside world and waited a long time for the judgment under those conditions. Even after the judgment, in violation of all legal rules, he remained in a single cell without access to the outside world. His telephone was returned only on the evening of the day the deadline for lodging an appeal on the merits (Berufung) expired. Coincidence or crime?

What actually happened

On 24 April, someone brought a petrol can, some circuit board with wires and a box of matches to the basement of a stone building. For thirteen days, the can stood there undisturbed, getting wet in the rain along with the matches. Only when someone threw a bottle at the house did someone call the police, and the police discovered a small petrol can.

Since the full-scale war began, Dmitry Bagrash had helped Ukrainian refugees. He gave many initial support, let them stay overnight in his flat, supplied food and helped with registration. If they urgently needed to go somewhere, he also gave them the keys to his car. Naturally, he went to petrol stations and bought petrol cans in reserve. He also gave the refugees one of his telephones, which he did not use himself.

The evidence — or its absence

Witnesses and experts were heard in court. An explosives expert concluded in her report that the petrol can found outside the house posed no lethal danger and could not explode by itself. The electronic circuit board also found there could not have been a control device. And yes, matches lay beside the can. But after lying there for thirteen days while it rained, they could hardly still have been used to ignite it.

During the trial, the court was shown a video recorded by chance by a Russian journalist living in the house. The video shows a man bringing this can and placing it outside the house. Height, build, amount of hair — none of this bears any relation to Dmitry Bagrash’s appearance.

The prosecution claims that telephone data from a phone registered in his name show that Dmitry Bagrash was at the building that day. Yes, the very phone Dmitry had given Ukrainian refugees so they could call their relatives. Witness testimony also identified a couple from the Donetsk region who used Dmitry’s car that evening. But the prosecution did not search for these people.

There is not a single piece of evidence in the file directly indicating that Bagrash prepared an attempted murder. The file does not reveal whom Bagrash allegedly intended to kill.

The judgment without legal provisions

Now it becomes even more absurd: the judgment has been delivered, pronounced and become final — and then it turns out that its text contains not a single reference to the laws, under which this judgment had already been pronounced and become final. The judgment contains not a single section of the Criminal Code on whose basis the defendant was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment. It was supplemented only afterwards, once all appeal deadlines (Berufung) had expired.

The method: a Kremlin multi-move manoeuvre

When Dmitry tried to obtain help after the judgment, he approached the so-called ‘Russian opposition in exile’. All of them unanimously refused to help him in any way. Prochorow’s words were relayed to Dmitry: ‘We do not want to take on German officials.’

It was these very people who spread whispers among all their acquaintances: Bagrash works for the FSB. Just like that. Without evidence. But a frequently repeated rumour begins to look like the truth. Neither the police nor the Berlin prosecution service had any reason to distrust an established commentator. It never even occurred to the officials that they were being led around like rabbits and brazenly disinformed. This method is called: a Kremlin multi-move manoeuvre.

What now

For all these officials, there is only one logical way out of this situation: deport the troublesome prisoner to his homeland. Dmitry’s only hope remains international lawyers who do not live in Germany. He has no money to pay lawyers.

I would like the Germans to find the courage to admit their mistakes and re-examine these proceedings. Then we would all give them a standing ovation. Because that would mean they had destroyed Putin’s multi-move manoeuvre in the information war and the truth had won.

He exploits all the weaknesses of democratic Western societies. His principal weapon remains defamation. And his principal disinformers are the Moscow liberals who have declared themselves the Russian opposition. Through their hands, real fighters who have sided with Ukraine are knocked out of the information war. Let us help Dmitry together!

*FSB — Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (domestic intelligence service and secret police)