A scientist in Russia was sentenced to 7 years for a DW video

The court of Gatchina city in Leningrad region issued a strict sentence against Dmitriy Bogmut, a former employee of the St. Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute. This was reported by Zamin.uz.

The 51-year-old scientist was accused of spreading false information about the Russian army and was sentenced to seven years in a general regime colony. This decision was confirmed by the regional prosecutor's office.

According to the investigation materials, Bogmut's criminal liability was due to his peaceful advocacy posts on social networks. The scientist shared a video material by Deutsche Welle (DW) dedicated to the Russian army and military actions in Ukraine on his page.

In his final speech at the court, Bogmut recalled that his youth coincided with the "perestroika" period and emphasized that he grew up under the slogans "Peace to the world!" He stated that he could neither understand nor accept the glorification of war and added that any war only brings blood and death.

Dmitriy Bogmut conducted his scientific activity as a technician and had been held in custody since April 2024. He shared the DW video in 2023.

At that time, this media company had not been declared an "undesirable organization" in Russia. Later, in December 2025, Deutsche Welle was included in the list of "undesirable organizations" by Russian officials.

This status criminalizes cooperation with the media company, including sharing their materials. The German government and DW management sharply condemned this decision as a threat to freedom of speech.

According to Russian legislation, merely reading these media outlets is not considered a crime, but sharing their materials on social networks is regarded as a serious offense. Therefore, severe punishment for opinions or reposts on social networks can seriously affect free exchange of ideas and diversity in society.