The Gatchina City Court of the Leningrad Region issued a final sentence against Dmitry Bogmut, a former employee of the St. Petersburg Institute of Nuclear Physics. The 51-year-old scientist was sentenced to seven years in a general regime colony on charges of spreading "fake news" about the Russian army. The regional prosecutor's office released official information about this.
Video repost and anti-war position
According to the investigation materials, Bogmut's criminal prosecution was prompted by his peacekeeping appearances on social media.
- The basis of the accusation: On his page, the scientist shared a video from Deutsche Welle (DW) dedicated to the combat capability of the Russian army and military operations in Ukraine.
- Last word in court: Dmitry Bogmut in his speech noted that his youth coincided with the years of "perestroika" and he grew up under the slogans "Peace - to the world!." "Now I can neither accept nor understand the praise of war. "Any war will only bring blood and death," he said.
From solid-state physics behind bars
Dmitry Bogmut worked as a technician in the scientific field and had been held in detention since April 2024. Interestingly, he distributed the DW video in 2023 - at that time, this media company had not yet been recognized as an "unacceptable organization" in Russia.
Recognition of DW as an "unacceptable organization"
In December 2025, Russian officials added the German media company Deutsche Welle to the list of "unsuitable organizations."
- Prohibitions and Consequences: This status implies criminal liability and long-term imprisonment for any cooperation with these media, including the dissemination of their materials.
- Response: DW leadership and the German government strongly condemned this decision as an encroachment on freedom of speech and a sign of fear of independent information.
According to Russian law, while simply reading these media outlets does not lead to liability, sharing their messages on social networks is now considered a serious crime.
In your opinion, how will such a severe punishment for a personal opinion or repost on social networks affect the diversity of opinions in society?
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