Putin can no longer claim victory in Ukraine, Nobel Peace Prize winner tells BBC

In Moscow, the once bustling offices of Novaya Gazeta now stand empty. Its former chief editor, Dmitry Muratov, shared details of the newspaper's struggles with the BBC. Muratov, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, co-founded the newspaper over three decades ago. Novaya Gazeta was once renowned for its in-depth investigative journalism, focusing on human rights violations and government corruption in Russia.

In 2021, Muratov shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Novaya Gazeta for their efforts in protecting free expression. Despite its online presence being restricted, the newspaper continues to operate primarily abroad. Muratov highlighted the censorship and crackdown on free speech in Russia, which has intensified since the country's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

According to Muratov, over 1,500 individuals have been imprisoned for dissenting against the government since the invasion began, three times more than during the Soviet KGB era.

President Vladimir Putin, despite Russia's prolonged and devastating conflict with Ukraine, continues to claim victory. However, Muratov asserts that no victory can be declared when millions of lives have been lost. He argues that the only remaining option for Russia is to escalate the conflict to the point of using nuclear weapons, a scenario Muratov finds unfeasible. The journalist noted that discussions of nuclear weapons have been mentioned over 500 times in state media since the start of the year.

Despite Putin's initial claims of ensuring Russia's security, Muratov questions whether those security assurances have materialized. The crisis has led to a significant decrease in Putin's domestic approval ratings, but Muratov dismisses any notion of a power struggle within the elite, attributing the fear among critics to Putin's intense control.

Muratov, a designated 'foreign agent' in Russia, has chosen to focus on the plight of political prisoners rather than the internal political climate. He presented portraits of four jailed journalists accused of extremism, including Alexei Gorinov, a city councillor who spoke out against the war in Ukraine. Muratov emphasized the global indifference towards these prisoners, emphasizing the urgency of addressing their situation.