Russian President Vladimir Putin bathes in the blood of Ukraine on a Düsseldorf Carnival float by German artist and float builder Jacques Tilly — a provocation that has now drawn the attention of the Russian state and led to the first criminal proceedings against the famed satirist.
A trial against Tilly is underway in Moscow. It was due to continue this past Wednesday in the defendant’s absence but, after a brief opening session, was postponed for the second time until February 26. At earlier hearings in December the court-appointed defense attorney arrived late; this time prosecution witnesses failed to appear. Representatives of the German embassy are expected to attend upcoming hearings in Moscow but will not have the right to speak.
“With everything that is happening in the world right now, I find it downright ridiculous that a Carnival float builder, of all people, is being put on trial. It’s like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut,” Tilly told DW.
Tilly’s oversized figures ride on Düsseldorf’s Rose Monday parade floats and have become internationally known. He targets a wide range of subjects — the church, the state, climate catastrophe, and the far right — and does not shy away from powerful figures. He has faced threats of legal action in the past, including after a 2025 float lampooning Alice Weidel of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), but those threats did not result in charges.
In Germany, freedom of expression is a fundamental right that covers political satire, provided it does not violate other laws. Tilly describes satire as “mockery spiced with humor; criticism wrapped in humor,” and says Putin “can’t stand criticism.” He warned that critics of the Russian regime often face court cases and, in the worst case, imprisonment in camps, and he fears that could happen to him.
The criminal complaint filed by the Russian government accuses Tilly of defaming Russian state institutions, including the military and President Putin. Russian authorities say Tilly’s 2023 float, in which Putin is depicted bathing in Ukrainian blood, prompted the proceedings. Tilly rejects the claims, saying prosecutors allege he “defamed the Russian military and act[ed] out of self-interest” — accusations commonly used against regime critics in Russia.
Why charges were not brought until December 2025 is unclear. To date Tilly has neither received a formal indictment nor spoken with the court-appointed defense lawyer. If convicted, he could face fines and imprisonment in a penal camp. Tilly says the case has practical consequences beyond legal risk: he has been warned he may no longer be able to enter countries that have extradition agreements with Russia, such as India, Serbia, Egypt, and Indonesia. The German Foreign Office has explicitly advised him against travel to those countries.
The move is seen by Tilly as a show of muscle: “The charges are meant to say, ‘We know what you’re doing, and we have our methods of responding to it,'” he said, calling the action a message aimed not just at him but at others. Carnival tradition in Germany embraces mocking authorities — a “fool’s liberty” (Narrenfreiheit) that traces back to court jesters who could speak truths to rulers. Tilly views his work in that tradition, saying he targets many leaders, including Donald Trump, Iran’s clerics, and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Tilly built his first Putin float after the 2006 murder of Russian investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya and says he has been critical of Putin from the start. He does not take the Russian charges personally; rather, he sees them as confirmation that his satire hits its mark. “Of course, it’s a nice confirmation that one’s own influence is far-reaching. I see that satire hurts, and that it hurts Putin, too,” he said, adding that the attention gives his work greater meaning and that he will continue producing satire that “gets to the heart of the matter.”
This article was originally written in German.