Russian journalist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Dmitry Muratov is selling his Nobel medal in solidarity with Ukrainian refugees. He says he is troubled by the eradication of independent media in Russia, where he claims fewer and fewer people support Moscow's military campaign.
Muratov is one of the founders and long-time editor-in-chief of the Kremlin-critical Novaya Gazeta newspaper, which was founded in 1993 with money from former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev's Nobel Peace Prize.
For years it has defied tougher restrictions on critical media outlets, but in March it finally suspended online and print activities after reporting anything about the conflict that deviated from the government's position became a crime - punishable by 15 years in prison.
"My country invaded another country, Ukraine. Now there are 15,5 million refugees... We thought for a long time about what we could do... and we thought that everyone should give something that is dear and important to them," he said. Muratov said in an interview with Reuters.
Selling his gold medal would mean that he somehow participated in the fate of refugees who lost their memories and "their past", he said.
"Now they want to take away their future, but we have to make sure that their future is preserved ... The most important thing we want to say and show is that human solidarity is necessary".
Muratov's medal is being auctioned on June 20, World Refugee Day, with the support of the award committee.
The committee described the award to Muratova and Maria Resa, a journalist from the Philippines, as support for the right to freedom of speech, which is under threat around the world.
Muratov dedicated his award to "Novaya Gazeta" journalists who were killed for their work, including some of the most prominent critics of President Vladimir Putin.
He complained about the lack of free media and the cruelty of the state's crackdown on opposing voices.
"The absence of real freedom of speech, real exchange of opinions, real freedom of expression means that people have no choice. They simply have to believe what state propagandists tell them," said Muratov.
"There is no free media. Meetings are actually prohibited, even in Russian regions. Administrative or criminal proceedings are initiated for any statement.
"Independent journalism is impossible in modern Russia. It is possible to distribute content, for example, through the YouTube platform. It is possible to deliver some content - an alternative to the state's position - through a VPN service. But that is becoming more and more difficult every day."
Russia has reached a point where Putin will stay in power as long as he sees fit - as he sees it, for the good of Russia
Still, he questions surveys that show a majority of Russians support the invasion.
"When they call you on the phone... and ask, 'Do you support the actions of President Putin?' or 'Do you support the action of the Russian army?' or 'Do you support the military operation in Ukraine?' - what did that person answer, what do you think?
Muratov believes that in reality the support for the war, which is often shown by writing the letter "Z", is decreasing.
"If you walk through the streets of Moscow now, you will see that the letter "Z" is practically gone.
"I hear what people say to me on the street," says Muratov. "I see what our readers write and it is clear to me that it is impossible to say that Russia supports the invasion of Ukraine with one voice."
He said that even the Kremlin admits that 25-30% of the population does not support the operation.
The elite is unique
Muratov, however, says that those who believe that there can be change in Russia as a result of a split in the elite are wrong.
"The government has never been so united, so monolithic. The people in power have nowhere to go: neither to Europe, nor to America, they are not allowed anywhere else. They are here. They are like the crew of a submarine that has no escape. And of course, they are united around the president."
He is also not sure Russians would turn against the government if Western sanctions eroded their living standards, saying they were more likely to awaken the "we can do it" spirit of those who survived the privations of World War II.
"Russia has reached the point where Putin will stay in power as long as he sees fit - as he sees it, for the good of Russia. Whether he will be president or some kind of monarch, I don't know. But the inclination towards absolutism is absolutely obvious." .
When asked how much money he expects from the medal, Muratov said that he had heard forecasts of two million dollars or more, but that he did not know how much it could end up being.
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