Moscow’s usually bustling journalistic corridors now echo with an unnerving silence. This is the stark reality described by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dmitry Muratov, former editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta, who declares unequivocally that a definitive Ukraine victory for Vladimir Putin is a fantasy, a claim the Russian president can no longer make. In a candid interview, Muratov painted a chilling picture of a nation where independent media is suffocated and dissent ruthlessly crushed.
Muratov, who co-founded Novaya Gazeta over three decades ago, saw his newspaper become a beacon for investigative reporting, exposing human rights abuses and corruption within Russia. A recipient of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for his tireless dedication to safeguarding freedom of expression, his efforts, tragically, could not shield his publication from the Kremlin’s iron fist. “There is no newspaper anymore,” he stated somberly, recounting how Putin’s decree led to the nationalisation of its presses and the revocation of its registration.
While Novaya Gazeta maintains a tenuous online presence, it’s largely inaccessible within Russia, blocked by authorities, forcing readers to resort to VPNs. This mirrors a far broader, accelerated assault on free speech that has intensified since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Hundreds of opinion leaders, Muratov explains, have been branded “foreign agents,” “extremists,” or “terrorists.” A staggering 1,500 individuals, by conservative estimates, languish in prison for opposing state policy – a figure three times higher than during the darkest days of the KGB in the Soviet Union.
The Elusive Ukraine Victory and Nuclear Shadows
What the Kremlin once envisioned as a swift “military operation” has morphed into Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II. Despite this grim reality, President Putin maintains a facade of assured Ukraine victory. Muratov dismisses this outright. “There will never be ‘victory’,” he asserted, his voice heavy with the weight of conflict. He argued that the protracted agony, the sheer human cost – a million lives or more from two Slavic nations torn asunder – renders any notion of triumph utterly meaningless. The current brutal conflict offers no path to a true Ukraine victory for the aggressor.
The situation in Ukraine, Muratov believes, has devolved to a horrifying binary: “You can destroy it, but you cannot conquer it.” The chilling implication of “destroy,” he elaborated, points to an escalation potentially involving nuclear weapons. When pressed on the likelihood of such a catastrophic move, Muratov scoffed at so-called political experts. “They’re all charlatans,” he declared, equating their predictions to astrology. While admitting no one truly knows Putin’s mind, his journalistic data analysis reveals a disturbing trend: nuclear weapon use has been mentioned over 500 times in public discourse this year, even discussed favorably on state television and at state-run economic forums.
Putin’s initial pretext for invasion in February 2022 was “ensuring the security of Russia.” Muratov challenges this notion directly. “Has security increased?” he queries, citing drone attacks on Russian warehouses, a petrol crisis, internet disruptions, and the swelling ranks of political prisoners. The answer, implicitly, is a resounding no.
Despite reports of dwindling domestic approval, Muratov believes Putin’s grip on power remains unshaken. He rejects theories of elite splits or secret conspiracies. “The country is run by Vladimir Putin. They’re frightened of him,” he stated, attributing this pervasive fear to the formidable support of the Federal Security Service (FSB). Furthermore, Muratov harbors no illusions about Western leaders; he believes Putin perceives their rhetoric on human rights as hollow, given their historical eagerness to sign lucrative trade deals for oil, gas, and diamonds.
Muratov himself has been labelled a ‘foreign agent’, a bureaucratic scarlet letter designed to silence critics. This designation strips individuals of basic rights – banning them from teaching, elections, and even accessing assets from property sales. Yet, the journalist prioritizes the suffering of his imprisoned compatriots. The Nobel Committee recognized his courage in the face of such adversity. He shared heart-wrenching photographs of those jailed for speaking out, including journalists, a city councillor, and a celebrated pianist, Pavel Kushnir, who tragically died in pre-trial detention during a hunger strike.
The pictures and personal narratives underscore the profound risks of publicly questioning authority and the war. While Muratov acknowledges the isolation critics face, he finds solace in small gestures of support. “So many people support what we do,” he confided, revealing how colleagues in Moscow hear whispers of gratitude in the streets. These quiet affirmations, he suggests, are a powerful testament to what people truly think, offering a fragile flicker of hope amidst the oppressive gloom.
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