Russia sanctions should not be indiscriminate, says Nobel Peace laureate Muratov

The Russian journalist was invited to a ceremony to celebrate World Press Freedom Day in Geneva, organised by the Graduate Institute. He attended alongside his colleague from the Philippines who also won the Nobel peace prize last year, Maria Ressa.

Asked about sanctions imposed on his country for waging war against Ukraine, Muratov said they "should not be like Grad ground-to-ground missile."

“Sometimes, these sanctions were something like a flashmob. People didn’t delve deep into what is what,” he added, citing the example of ill children in Russia who cannot be treated due to sanctions.

“It’s unacceptable, as these people are already between life and death. And to condemn them to die, especially, sorry, children who did not choose Putin… what’s this all about?” he said.

On Tuesday (May 3), the European Union announced that it will slap new sanctions on Moscow targeting the oil industry, more banks and those responsible for disinformation.

Muratov was attacked on a train with red paint on April 7, in an apparent protest at his newspaper's coverage of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Pictures posted by the newspaper on the Telegram messaging app showed Muratov with red paint on his head and clothes and around his sleeping compartment on a Moscow-Samara train.

“He is connected to an organisation of war veterans, close to various private military companies and military brotherhoods. So, these are proxies,” said Muratov, adding that he didn’t have any information on whether Russian intelligence services were involved in the incident.

Pressure against liberal Russian media outlets has mounted since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in February, with most mainstream media and state-controlled organisations sticking closely to the language used by the Kremlin to describe the conflict. Several opposition activists have reported threatening messages painted on the doors of their apartments.

“Some of our staff have left the country. A majority of them remained in Moscow, that’s why, I will, of course, return to Moscow too,” he said.