Russian Editor’s Nobel Peace Prize Win Garners Split Reaction

Dmitry Muratov received the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for his work promoting independent journalism in Russia (Wikimedia Commons).

The Nobel Committee awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize to Dmitry Muratov, the editor of the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, on October 8. Muratov’s award, shared with Maria Ressa of the Philippines, makes him the first Russian citizen to win the Nobel Prize since the Soviet era. 

This award marks a significant show of support for journalistic freedom, particularly for countries infamous for their restrictions on the free press. In their decision, the Committee lauded both Muratov and Ressa “for their courageous fight for freedom of expression in the Philippines and Russia.”

Muratov specifically dedicated his award to the journalistic profession in the era of Putin,  expressing gratitude for colleagues who had died while carrying out their duties, whose deaths often occurred under violent or suspicious circumstances. “​​This prize belongs to my lost colleagues, who gave their lives for people, who fought against dictatorship, who stood up for freedom of speech,” Muratov explained in an interview with the Russian news agency Meduza. 

One such colleague was Anna Politkovskaya, a Novaya Gazeta reporter who was gunned down while entering her Moscow apartment in 2006. Muratov’s receipt of the Peace Prize marks exactly one day after the 15th anniversary of Politkovskaya’s murder. 

The initial reaction from the Kremlin was positive, with Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commenting that Muratov has “been working tirelessly according to his own ideals, and he’s committed to his own ideals. He’s talented and brave. This is, of course, a high distinction.”

In recent days, however, the government’s posture has hardened. On October 13, Putin warned Muratov against using his award  “as a shield,” suggesting that the journalist’s recognition would not provide immunity from the classification of “foreign agent.” If the Kremlin were to take this step, all Novaya Gazeta publications would be given a “foreign agent” designation, requiring the publication to report all its sources of income—including donors—to the government. This label is only given to those who are determined to have broken Russian law. 

Many prominent, pro-democratic Russian voices were frustrated by the Committee’s apparent snub of Navalny, a politician currently serving a prison term on dubious legal grounds. In 2020, Navalny was even targeted for assassination, when the nerve agent Novichok was placed in his underpants. 

Ruslan Shaveddinov, a Navalny ally, took to Twitter to protest, claiming that the Committee’s decision prioritized words over actions. “Instead of pretentious and hypocritical speeches about ‘freedom,’ they could have protected a person who survived an assassination attempt and is now taken hostage by the murderers. Or support a person who fights against a mustachioed fascist,” he wrote. 

That “person” in Shaveddinov’s tweet is Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the Belarusian opposition leader currently confronting Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Tsikhanouskaya—herself a contender for the prize—congratulated the winners, writing, “the journalist’s work is essential worldwide.” 

Though Muratov believes that Navalny deserved the award, Navalny himself has publicly celebrated Muratov’s win: “I am glad that by its decision,” he said. “The Nobel Committee noted that no matter how much that likes, algorithms, content consumption, private and public money, and subscribers affect us, the main thing that we always need is journalism, which is not afraid to tell the truth.”