Russian authorities have issued an arrest warrant for Michael Martens, a Balkan correspondent for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, accusing him of incitement to hatred after he asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky what Europeans could do to help Ukraine "kill more Russians."
Martens posed the question at an August 8 press conference in Belgrade, later saying he was referencing Fitzroy Maclean's memoirs in which Winston Churchill urged support for those killing the most Germans. The FAZ acknowledged the question was ambiguously phrased and said its editorial policy favours peace, not killing. A petition demanding his dismissal gathered thousands of signatures before being removed.
The Russian embassy in Germany has asked Berlin prosecutors to assess the matter legally, and the German Journalists Association criticised the Kremlin's actions. Germany's foreign ministry said Russia is acting increasingly aggressively against media freedom.