“A puppet in the likeness of Vladimir Putin, in camouflage with a Russian flag patch on his sleeve, stabs a carnival jester with a sword,” DW wrote.
“The jester, wearing a hat labeled ‘Satire,’ laughs, while the twisted-faced Russian president clearly appears to be in great pain and anger.”
Tilly, who with his team has built satirical floats for the
Düsseldorf parade for more than 40 years, made Putin the central antihero of
his 2026 designs. In one float, Putin and a puppet of U.S. President Donald
Trump appear to try to “devour” Europe, which sits on the back of a bull, a
reference to the ancient Greek myth of Europa. Another float lampooned suspected
Kremlin ties to Germany’s far right by showing a Putin puppet remotely
controlling a drone labeled AfD; the drone was depicted as Alice Weidel,
co-leader of the party. On all floats Putin appears in military uniform.
The sculptures are Tilly’s response to a criminal case opened against him in Moscow accusing him of “discrediting” the Russian armed forces, the report adds. The case became public in December 2025. Tilly told the German broadcaster the charges are “pulled out of thin air.”
Tilly has repeatedly targeted Putin in his work, portraying
him in a blood-filled tub painted in the colors of the Ukrainian flag, trying
to swallow a figure labeled “Ukraine” with the words “Choke on it!” and being
struck in the groin by a puppet of late Russian opposition leader Alexei
Navalny. He said the incident involving the Navalny puppet led to the Russian
investigation.
“It’s really about Putin; he has the power in Russia; he sets the central directions of policy,” Tilly told DW.
“You can be angry or laugh at satire, but you shouldn’t try to silence it by legal means. It’s simply unworthy of any leader, authoritarian or democratic.”
Tilly has said he does not consider a Russian trial fair and
does not plan to attend. Proceedings have been postponed several times; a
hearing is expected Feb. 26 at the Basmanny Court in Moscow.