Putin can no longer claim victory in Ukraine, Nobel laureate Dmitry Muratov says

At the Moscow offices of the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta, the corridors remain silent and empty. Former chief editor Dmitry Muratov, who co-founded the publication over thirty years ago to investigate human rights abuses and corruption, explains that the newspaper no longer exists in its traditional form. Russian authorities have blocked its website, making it accessible domestically only via VPNs or from abroad. This suppression highlights the severe crackdown on free speech in Russia that has accelerated since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

While President Vladimir Putin continues to predict a Russian victory, Muratov argues that the reality on the ground tells a very different story. He points out that the conflict has torn apart two Slavic nations and resulted in massive devastation. Muratov warns that the ongoing escalation could ultimately reach the point of nuclear weapons usage, while also criticizing European leaders for maintaining trade ties involving oil, gas, and diamonds despite their public rhetoric on human values.

Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event

"It cannot be a victory when two Slavic nations have ripped a million people to shreds. Or more than a million."

Dmitry Muratov

Rather than focusing on his own personal pressures, Muratov draws attention to the forgotten political prisoners and jailed compatriots who first spoke out against the conflict. He pulls out photographs of imprisoned journalists Antonina Favorskaya, Konstantin Gabov, Sergey Karelin, and Artyom Kriger, who were convicted on extremism charges over alleged links to Alexei Navalny's anti-corruption organization. He also highlights the case of 68-year-old pediatrician Nadezhda Buyanova, sentenced to five and a half years in a penal colony, and Pavel Kushnir, a 39-year-old musician who died in pre-trial detention during a hunger strike.