MOSCOW — A court in Moscow on April 2, 2026, sentenced German artist Jacques Tilly in absentia to eight-and-a-half years in prison. Tilly, 62, was convicted on charges of spreading false information about the Russian military and insulting religious feelings.

The charges were connected to carnival displays Tilly created that mocked Russian President Vladimir Putin. Tilly has been designing and building floats for Düsseldorf's Carnival parade since 1984, and in recent years his designs depicted Putin in connection with the conflict in Ukraine. Carnival parades in Germany are known for floats mocking a wide variety of domestic and global political figures.

One of Tilly's designs depicted Putin scrubbing himself in a bathtub filled with blood and painted in the colors of the Ukrainian flag. Another featured a red-faced Putin biting into a representation of Ukraine decorated with the words "Choke on it!"

Tilly indicated before the sentencing that he did not expect the proceedings to be conducted fairly. "It's very likely that the verdict against me has already been determined," Tilly said. He described the prosecution as extending beyond his individual case. "It is an attack on our freedoms," Tilly said.

Because the sentence was handed down in absentia, Tilly was not present in Russia for the court proceedings. The conviction carries a prison term of eight-and-a-half years.