Dmitry Muratov, a Russian journalist who won the Nobel Peace Prize, was attacked while on a train from Moscow to Samara. Muratov is the editor-in-chief of the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazetaan independent media critical of the nation’s government.
An unidentified man shouted at Muratov and threw red paint at him, Novaya Gazeta Europe on Telegram. The journalist said the attacker is said to have shouted, “Muratov, here’s one for our boys,” possibly referring to the Russian military.
“They poured oil paint with acetone in the compartment. My eyes burned terribly,” Muratov said after the attack, according to Novaya Gazeta Europe.
Consequential images show blood-red paint covering his body and clothing, as well as the ship’s hold and his belongings.
Kirill Martynov, editor of Novaya Gazeta Europe, tweeted that Muratov received medical attention but his eyesight may have been affected by the paint color.
Last year, Muratov Wins Nobel Peace Prize for his work with Novaya Gazeta, which he co-founded in 1991. The newspaper has become an advocate for democracy and free speech in Russia. But six of the newspaper’s journalists have been killed over the years because their work held the Russian government and its military accountable.
At the beginning of the Russo-Ukrainian war, the article was forced to stop publishing after facing pressure from the government. Some of the newspaper’s journalists fled Russia and founded Novaya Gazeta Europe, an independent project to its name.
