Politics · Russia · 1 hr ago
Russian Court Raises Exiled YouTuber Michael Nacke’s Sentence to 14 Years
A Moscow court sentenced journalist and YouTuber Michael Nacke to five years in prison in absentia, raising his combined sentence to 14 years.
Nacke is a Kremlin critic who lives outside Russia and makes Russian-language videos about Russia’s war against Ukraine.
He was already sentenced in absentia to 11 years in 2023 for spreading what Russian authorities called false information about the military.
The latest case concerns a 2024 video that investigators said called for actions against state security.
The court ordered Nacke to serve a total of 14 years in a general-security penal colony and barred him from running websites for five years.
His channel drew more than 80.4 million views in September 2026, making the case significant for a prominent voice reaching a large Russian-speaking audience.
A Moscow court sentenced exiled journalist and YouTuber Michael Nacke to five years in prison in absentia, raising his combined sentence to 14 years.
The court said the latest case involved calls for actions against Russia’s national security in a video published in 2024.
Nacke was previously sentenced in absentia to 11 years in 2023 for spreading what Russian authorities called false information about the military.
The court ordered him to serve the combined term in a general-security penal colony and barred him from administering websites for five years.
Nacke, a Kremlin critic who lives outside Russia, covers Russia’s war against Ukraine on his Russian-language YouTube channel.
- Who
- Michael Nacke, an exiled journalist and YouTuber.
- What
- A Moscow court sentenced him to five years in prison in absentia, bringing his combined sentence to 14 years.
- When
- The ruling was reported on October 13, 2026. The video at the center of the latest case was published in 2024.
- Where
- Moscow, Russia.
- Why
- Investigators said a video contained calls for activities directed against state security.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Nacke was sentenced in absentia to 11 years in prison for spreading what authorities called false information about the Russian military.
Nacke published the video that investigators said contained calls for activities against state security.
A Moscow court imposed a five-year sentence in absentia, partly combining it with his earlier term to make 14 years.
- Combined sentence
- 14 years
- New sentence
- 5 years in prison in absentia
- Previous sentence
- 11 years, imposed in 2023
- Video date
- 2024
- Website ban
- 5 years
- Where he will serve
- General-security penal colony
What people are saying
directed against state security
Sources
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