Dmitry Denisov is a political prisoner
A Stalinist from St. Petersburg has been convicted on a charge of ‘rehabilitating Nazism’ for comparing Putin to Hitler
The ‘Political Prisoners. Memorial’ human rights project, in accordance with international standards, considers Dmitry Denisov a political prisoner. Denisov was convicted on a charge of ‘rehabilitation of Nazism’ for publishing political cartoons criticizing Vladimir Putin on the VK social media site. Denisov’s criminal prosecution and conviction violated his rights to freedom of expression and a fair trial. We demand that Dmitry Denisov be released and that all criminal charges against him be dropped.
What were the charges against Dmitry Denisov?
Dmitry Denisov, an electrician from the city of Pushkin near St. Petersburg, describes himself as an ‘orthodox communist and Stalinist.’
On 10 April 2024, Denisov’s home was searched. He was then charged with publicly denying facts established by the verdict of the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg, ‘intentionally spreading information known to be false about the activities of the USSR during World War II and about veterans of the Great Patriotic War’ (Article 354.1, Part 2 [c], of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), as well as for spreading ‘information expressing disrespect for society about the days of military glory and memorable dates of Russian history related to the defence of the Homeland and desecration of symbols of Russia’s military glory’ (Article 354.1, Part 4, CC RF). The grounds for these charges were two posts Denisov made on the VK social media site of memes showing Vladimir Putin in a Nazi uniform and a portrait of Hitler.
Denisov was remanded in custody, where he then spent almost six months until his release under travel restrictions in September 2024.
The court considered that Denisov’s posts ‘equated the Russian Federation and its head with the political system and leaders of Nazi Germany’ and that this constituted ‘rehabilitation of Nazism.’ Denisov himself did not admit guilt and stated that he posted the images to insult President Putin, since he disagrees with his actions and policies.
On 17 April 2025, Denisov was sentenced to 20 months in a low security penal colony and banned from posting material on the Internet for three years. On 24 June 2025, the sentence was upheld on appeal.
Why do we consider Dmitry Denisov a political prisoner?
The article on ‘rehabilitation of Nazism’ does not comply with the principle of legal certainty and is used to suppress freedom of expression. The wording of the article is vague, criminalizing the expression of opinions about past events, prohibiting criticism of official symbols, and penalizing statements that pose no danger to the public. In the case of Dmitry Denisov, this norm has been applied in an absurd manner to prosecute for ‘rehabilitation of Nazism’ on the basis of cartoons comparing the Russian president to Hitler. Such comparisons are a form of political criticism permissible under both Russian and international law.
Dmitry Denisov’s criminal prosecution and conviction were intended not to suppress ‘rehabilitation of Nazism’ but rather to penalize criticism of Putin. Criminal prosecution and deprivation of liberty for criticism of the authorities that does not incite violence is unlawful and political in nature.
A detailed description of Dmitry Denisov’s case and of our position is available on our website.
How can you help?
If you have information about the low security penal colony in which Dmitry Denisov is being held, please let us know by email at [email protected]
