Dmitry Muratov, the editor of the pro-democracy Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, was doused in red paint while traveling on a train to the Russian city of Samara, he said in a Thursday statement. The paint was apparently laced with the solvent acetone and caused his eyes to burn, he said. While it’s not clear who attacked him, he said he heard his assailant shout, “This is for our boys!” Muratov shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Filipino-American journalist Maria Ressa in 2021 for “their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace.” His newspaper has often exposed corruption and human rights violations by the Putin regime, and it was forced to stop publishing last month as Russia introduced laws to punish anyone spreading anti-war content.
Aboard a train to Samara, somebody attacked Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Novaya Gazeta editor-in-chief Dmitry Muratov with red paint laced with the solvent acetone. “This is for our boys!” the assailant shouted. Muratov’s eyes now burn, he wrote in a statement. pic.twitter.com/ny0Fjefo42
