Putin can no longer claim victory in Ukraine, Nobel Peace Prize winner tells BBC
Nobel Peace Prize winner Dmitry Muratov has told the BBC that Vladimir Putin can no longer credibly claim victory in Ukraine, arguing that the scale and duration of the war make any outcome a tragedy rather than a success. He also warned that Russia could destroy Ukraine through further escalation, including a possible nuclear strike, while saying nobody can reliably know Putin’s intentions.
Muratov spoke from the largely empty Moscow offices of Novaya Gazeta, the independent newspaper he co-founded, whose print operation was shut after its registration was revoked and whose website is blocked in Russia. He said at least 1,500 people had been imprisoned for opposing state policy since the 2022 invasion, amid a wider crackdown on journalists and dissent; he described the conflict as Europe’s bloodiest since the Second World War, with more than a million people potentially killed or wounded.
- Muratov says Ukraine cannot be conquered, only further destroyed.
- Russia’s repression of independent media and dissent has intensified.
- He warns nuclear escalation cannot be ruled out.
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Russia launched a full-scale invasion of neighbouring Ukraine in February 2022, greatly expanding a conflict that had begun in eastern Ukraine in 2014. The war has caused extensive destruction, displaced millions of people and led to heavy military and civilian casualties.
Vladimir Putin has been Russia’s president for most of the period since 2000 and has made the war a central part of his government’s policy. Ukraine, led by President Volodymyr Zelensky, has relied on its armed forces and support from countries including the UK, the United States and other European states to resist Russian forces.
Dmitry Muratov is a Russian journalist who shared the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for his work defending independent reporting. His newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, became known for investigating corruption, war and human rights, but has faced severe restrictions as Russia has tightened control over media and public opposition to the invasion.