DW documentary 'Politzek – Voices that Defy the Kremlin'
The documentary is available on ARD and will air on DW starting December 6.
Nobel laureate Dmitry Muratov attended the screening along with Memorial co-founder Oleg Orlov, whose wife Tatiana is shown in the film as she navigates his imprisonment.
"At the moment, Memorial's list of political prisoners includes 1,217 names," Oleg Orlov said at the premiere. "But that's just the tip of the iceberg. There are many more detainees. During my time in prison and pre-trial detention, I met new people and learned about names I had never heard of before. The machinery of repression is expanding. We cannot say that we have reached the peak yet."
Nobel laureate and editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta Dmitry Muratov announced that, together with other Nobel laureates, he would send a letter to the parties involved in the current talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. The letter calls for the release of Russian political prisoners and Ukrainian detainees in Russia, either through a prisoner exchange or by granting pardons, as part of a potential peace agreement.
Barbara Massing, DW Director General: "The documentary is a testament to courage and humanity. It gives a voice to those who were meant to be silenced. It is our responsibility to ensure these voices continue to be heard."
The film examines the system of political repression in contemporary Russia under President Vladimir Putin, where thousands are imprisoned as Politzek – political prisoners. Directed by Manon Loizeau and Ekaterina Mamontova with contributions from Sacha Koulaeva, the documentary traces how repression works and gives the Politzek and their families a voice.
At the center of the film are personal stories, such as that of Arseny Turbin, who was 14 when Russia's secret service targeted him for critical comments about Putin made in class and on YouTube. He was sentenced to five years in prison, becoming Russia's youngest political detainee. His mother, Irina, continues to fight for his release.
The film also follows Nadezhda Skochilenko, who fought for her daughter Sasha'srelease. After Russia launched its full-scale invasion into Ukraine, Sasha placed price tags in a grocery store with messages of protest against Putin's war and was sentenced to seven years in a penal colony. After more than two years of imprisonment, she was finally freed in a prisoner exchange.
"The work on this film was classified until shortly before completion, because parts of the team were still in Russia and feared for their safety," said Bettina Kolb and Elisabeth Lehmann, Commissioning Editors DW Documentaries. "The risk they took commands great respect. We thank them for trusting DW to bring 'Politzek' to the world."
Nadja Scholz, Managing Director Programming: "'Politzek – Voices that Defy the Kremlin' is a European co-production with five public broadcasters and serves as a proof ofthe power of cross-border, independent journalism, now more important than it has been in a long time."
Production
Politzek – Voices that Defy the Kremlin is a co-production by Babel Doc (Stéphanie Lebrun) and Clin d’Œil Films (Hanne Phlypo), produced in cooperation with France TV and co-produced with DW, SWR, RTBF and VRT. Released in Germany as "Staatsfeinde – Russlands politische Gefangene," the film will be available in the ARD Mediathek starting November 29, 2025, and on DW's YouTube channels from December 6, 2025, in English, Spanish, Arabic,Hindi and Bahasa Indonesia.
Russian authorities labeled DW a "foreign agent" in 2022, forcing the closure of its Moscow bureau and revoking all licenses and accreditations. DW now operates its studio in exile from Riga. Despite censorship and technical restrictions in Russia and Belarus, DW's Russian-language content expanded its reach from 49 million monthly views in 2021 to nearly 79 million in 2024, driven by distribution on YouTube, Instagram, Telegram and the satellite platform Svoboda.
Photos from the event and press photos for the film can be downloaded here.