Muratov tells BBC: Putin can no longer claim victory in Ukraine

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dmitry Muratov has told the BBC that Vladimir Putin can no longer claim victory in the war in Ukraine. Muratov, editor-in-chief of the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, spoke at length in an interview published on August 13, 2026, reflecting on nearly five years of conflict, the stifling of free speech in Russia, and the fate of political prisoners.

'There can be no victory when two Slavic peoples have torn apart a million people'

'There will never be a 'victory,' because what has been going on for nearly five years, no matter how it ends, can no longer be considered a victory,' Muratov said. 'There can be no victory when two Slavic peoples have torn apart a million people. Or more than a million.'

Muratov believes the situation in Ukraine has reached a point where it 'can be destroyed, but not conquered.' By destruction, he means 'continued escalation all the way to the use of nuclear weapons.'

Nuclear rhetoric and unpredictable Putin

The journalist warned of the increasingly frequent mention of nuclear weapons in Russia's public sphere. 'Since the beginning of the year, the need to use nuclear weapons has been mentioned more than 500 times,' Muratov said, adding that it has been discussed on state television and at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, where one speaker 'talked about the use of nuclear weapons as something favorable, something good.'

Asked whether he believes Putin would actually use nuclear weapons, Muratov was cautious. 'All those political experts who say 'Putin thinks this' or 'Putin fears that'... they are all charlatans. It's in the same league as astrology. No one knows what goes on in Vladimir Putin's head. I don't know either.'

Record number of political prisoners

Muratov provided data on the suppression of opposition in Russia. 'The numbers vary, but by conservative estimate, since the start of Russia's 'special military operation' in Ukraine, at least 1,500 people are in prison for speaking out against current state policy. That's three times more than during the harsh days of the KGB in the USSR.'

For comparison, dissident Andrei Sakharov, in his Nobel Peace Prize lecture in 1975, named more than 120 political prisoners, while Amnesty International a decade later estimated more than 600 prisoners of conscience in the USSR.

'Most opinion leaders have been labeled 'foreign agents,' 'extremists,' or 'terrorists.' Several hundred,' said Muratov, who himself carries the 'foreign agent' label.

Fates of prisoners and pressure on Novaya Gazeta

Muratov showed photographs of prisoners, including four journalists-Antonina Favorskaya, Konstantin Gabov, Sergei Karelin, and Artyom Kriger-convicted for alleged ties to the anti-corruption organization of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny. There is also city councilor Alexei Gorinov, imprisoned for 'deliberately spreading false information' about the Russian military.

Particularly poignant is the story of pianist Pavel Kushnir, 'an outstanding performer of Rachmaninoff and Schubert,' who was arrested after posting anti-war videos. 'And this is him in a coffin,' Muratov said, showing another photograph. Kushnir died in a pre-trial detention center during a hunger strike. He was 39 years old.

Muratov also described the pressure on his own newspaper. In April, police searched Novaya Gazeta's offices for 13 hours, and lawyers were not allowed in. Editor-in-chief Oleg Roldugin is now under house arrest. 'Putin issued a decree and the newspaper's printing presses were nationalized. The registration was annulled,' Muratov explained.

Putin firmly holds power

Despite falling approval ratings, Muratov does not believe in a split among the elite. 'I'm sorry, I don't believe in all those stories about divisions among the elite, about secret conspiracies. The state is run by Vladimir Putin. They are afraid of him.' Fear, he says, is reinforced by his main base of support, the Federal Security Service (FSB).

Asked by the BBC journalist whether his Nobel laureate status gives him at least some protection to say what he wants, Muratov replied: 'That's not a question for me. Whenever you have the chance, ask the authorities.'

Still, there is a glimmer of hope. 'We live in a time when you keep quiet. But so many people support what we do. On the streets of Moscow, my colleagues and I hear only words of gratitude. They are whispered. But what people think is very important.'

Novaya Gazeta, from symbol of freedom to empty corridors

The office of Novaya Gazeta in Moscow today exudes silence and emptiness. 'The newspaper no longer exists,' Muratov told the BBC. The paper he co-founded more than three decades ago, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, became one of the most important independent media outlets in Russia, exposing human rights abuses and corruption at the highest levels of power.

In 2021, the Nobel Committee, awarding Muratov the Peace Prize, recalled that six journalists from the paper had been killed, including Anna Politkovskaya, known for her reporting on the war in Chechnya. But even that international recognition did not protect the newspaper from pressure from the authorities.

'Putin signed a decree nationalizing the printing presses, and the newspaper's registration was annulled,' Muratov explained. Although Novaya Gazeta still exists online, the authorities have blocked access to the site, so it can only be accessed in Russia via VPN.

Muratov sold his Nobel medal at auction to support UNICEF's humanitarian efforts for Ukrainian refugees.