Russia has opened a criminal case against Michael Martens, a correspondent for the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), over a question he posed to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Belgrade on August 8. The case was opened under Part 2 of Article 282 of the Russian Criminal Code (incitement of hatred or enmity), which carries a maximum sentence of up to six years in prison. According to TASS, citing a source, authorities are now considering placing the journalist on an international wanted list and seeking his arrest in absentia.
The incident occurred at a joint press conference with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. Martens asked Zelensky: "Can you tell us, Europeans, what exactly we can do to help you kill more Russians?" — immediately clarifying that he meant Russian soldiers.
FAZ's editorial office expressed regret over the wording, calling it "ambiguous." The newspaper explained that the journalist was referring to an expert discussion about how to create problems for the Russian army's personnel in order to push Moscow toward peace negotiations. FAZ stressed that it supports Ukraine's right to self-defense and does not call for killing the maximum number of Russian soldiers.
Martens later said his question was a reference to Winston Churchill's words about supporting Yugoslav partisans during World War II. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova called the question "unacceptable and criminal," while the Russian embassy in Germany described it as "disgusting."