Russia orders in-absentia arrest of comedian Sasha Dolgopolov on Nazism-rehabilitation charges
A Moscow court has ordered the arrest of comic Sasha Dolgopolov in absentia. The news outlet Mediazona had earlier reported that a request for his arrest had been submitted to the court. He faces a criminal case on charges of rehabilitating Nazism — a case prosecutors had earlier advocated.
Moscow court has issued an arrest warrant for comedian Sasha Dolgopolov while he remains abroad. The criminal case against him centers on allegations of rehabilitating Nazism, a charge the prosecution has previously supported. The basis for the accusation arises from one of Dolgopolov's stand-up routines. Prosecutors claim he delivered a line intended to disparage the memory of Russia's defenders, belittle World War II veterans, and minimize the significance of their achievements.
However, they have not disclosed the exact words used. According to the Telegram channel Baza, which has connections to Russia's intelligence apparatus, the "statement" in question was a joke Dolgopolov made about walking through Berlin, remarking, "Sometimes I walk around Berlin and think, 'Wow, they killed my grandfather.'" This anecdote supposedly originated from a show uploaded to his channel in December 2024.
Currently residing in Germany, Dolgopolov faces an in-absentia arrest order. Meduza, the news outlet reporting this story, adheres to transparency regarding its use of artificial intelligence in journalism. The article was authored by one of their human journalists and translated from Russian into English using an AI system that is regularly tested and refined to ensure accuracy.
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