Editor's note: this story was translated from the original VOA Russian article.
Journalist and popular YouTube host Michael Macke, a dual U.S. and Russian citizen, has rejected recent criminal proceedings against him by Russia in absentia as unlawful, in an interview with VOA.
Nacke, also known as Michael Naki, is the host of “Popular Politics" and “MackNack” YouTube. Despite living outside of Russia, he is on a Russian government "wanted list."
On Tuesday, Moscow’s Basmanny District Court handed Nacke a second – in absentia conviction. He was found guilty of publicly calling for “actions against the security of the Russian Federation, committed via the internet.” The court sentenced him to five years in prison.
The criminal case stemmed from a video published on the journalist’s YouTube channel on May 7, 2024. Prosecutors alleged that the video contained calls for actions against Russian state security.
Commenting on the new sentence in an interview with VOA Russian, Nacke said he did not consider the criminal proceedings against him legitimate.
“As for the legal side of things – all these criminal cases and everything else – I don’t take them particularly seriously. I don’t really understand why other people do. I consider them unlawful. I believe these trials, based on fabricated charges that have no legitimate basis, contradict the Russian constitution, the law that has direct applicability,” he said.
However, Nacke said that court rulings were not his primary concern. He was more worried about the activities of Russian security services.
“It was clear that there would be prison sentences and so on. Basically, the only thing that worries me is the activity of the Russian security services. It’s not just about court rulings; it’s about the fact that they kill people and hunt them down," he said. “And I’m most likely on some list of people they want to target. That concerns me much more."
During in absentia court proceedings he was represented by a court-appointed lawyer. However, Nacke said, this lawyer had not gotten in contact with him, even though she declared his innocence during the hearing.
“I read in the news that she – and I greatly appreciate it – said I was guilty of nothing and pointed out that she had no contact with me. That’s obviously disappointing; she could have reached out. You managed to find a way to contact me, after all. I think she could have found a way, too, if she had tried,” he said.
The defense lawyer had asked the court to acquit him. Russian authorities have placed Nacke on a wanted list and ordered his arrest in absentia.
Nacke said the proceedings would not change his work.
“In the end, I have neither plans nor intention to adjust my work in any way to accommodate their fabricated sentences,” he said.
Nacke left Russia in the summer of 2021. In September 2022, Russia’s Justice Ministry added him to its register of “foreign agents.”
In August 2023, Nacke and Ruslan Leviev, founder of the Conflict Intelligence Team, were sentenced in absentia to 11 years in prison in a case involving the dissemination of what Russian authorities described as “false information” about the Russian military.
Nacke previously worked as a presenter and commentator for the Echo of Moscow radio station. Since leaving Russia, he has focused on developing his own YouTube channel, where he publishes coverage and analysis of Russian politics and the war in Ukraine.