Muratov: Putin can no longer claim victory in Ukraine

BBC News · 🇬🇧 public United Kingdom · Aug 13, 2026 · 1237 words · By Steve Rosenberg

Freedom of the Press Russian State Repression Ukraine-Russia Conflict

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What to know about Freedom of the Press

Putin can no longer claim victory in Ukraine, Nobel Peace Prize winner tells BBC - Published At the Moscow offices of newspaper Novaya Gazeta, the corridors are silent.

Claims checked 15

Techniques found 3

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center88%

Right12%

8 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Putin can no longer claim victory in Ukraine, Nobel Peace Prize winner tells BBC - Published At the Moscow offices of newspaper Novaya Gazeta, the corridors are silent.

Why it matters

"There is no newspaper anymore," former chief editor Dmitry Muratov tells me in an exclusive interview, published on the BBC News YouTube channel, external.

Common ground

Muratov, 64, co-founded Novaya Gazeta more than 30 years ago.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling, Appeal to Pity: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Freedom of the Press story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that since the start of Russia's 'special military operation' [in Ukraine] at least 1,500 people are now in prison having spoken out against current state policy?
How does this story connect Freedom of the Press with Russian State Repression over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c74grmy2v7ko?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 3 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Name Calling / Labeling 70% confidence

Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Appeal to Pity 60% confidence

Evoking sympathy to win support rather than using logical arguments.

Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to pity helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 15 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 5

check_circle Corroborated 4

info Single Source 2

help Insufficient Evidence 2

verified Verified By Reference 2

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Claim 1: “since the start of Russia's 'special military operation' [in Ukraine] at least 1,500 people are now in prison having spoken out against current state policy.”

SINGLE SOURCE

One web search result cites OVD-Info stating that more than 1,500 people are imprisoned on political grounds in Russia. While the source is a known monitoring group, only one search result provided this specific figure.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Currently, more than 1,500 people are imprisoned on political grounds in Russia, according to a tally by OVD-Info, with Moscow’s crackdown on dissent escalating since the war began. Between then and D…
https://www.yahoo.com/news/russia-sentences-19-old-woman-205…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Unfortunately, that was the nightmare that I would have to endure. In this video, I'll tell the story of how this happened, how the Russian police use corrupt and backhanded tactics to imprison an inn…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZzXEJ3bcw4

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Without robust air defense systems, Ukraine is currently seeing some of the worst months for civilian casualties in Ukraine since the early days of Russia's full-scale invasion. Kyiv has also faced a …
https://kyivindependent.com/patriot-licenses-for-ukraine-bei…

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Claim 2: “Its registration was revoked.”

CORROBORATED

Web search results confirm that a court in Moscow revoked the registration of Novaya Gazeta.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Andrei Alekseyevich Soldatov (Russian: Андрей Алексеевич Солдатов, born 4 October 1975 in Moscow, Russia) is a Russian investigative journalist and Russian security services expert. Together with fell…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrei_Soldatov

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Dmitry Andreyevich Muratov (Russian: Дмитрий Андреевич Муратов; born 29 October 1961) is a Russian journalist, television presenter and the former editor-in-chief of the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazet…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dmitry_Muratov

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Novaya Gazeta (Russian: Новая газета, lit. 'New[-style] Gazette', pronounced [ˈnovəjə ɡɐˈzʲetə]) is an independent Russian newspaper. It is known for its critical and investigative coverage of Russian…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novaya_Gazeta

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 3: “Our managing editor Oleg Roldugin is now under house arrest.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 4: “In his 1975 Nobel Peace Prize lecture dissident Andrei Sakharov listed the names of more than 120 political prisoners he was aware of in the Soviet Union.”

SINGLE SOURCE

A web search result explicitly states that in his 1975 Nobel Peace Prize lecture, Andrei Sakharov listed more than 120 political prisoners. However, this specific detail is only found in one of the provided search results.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — In his 1975 Nobel Peace Prize lecture dissident Andrei Sakharov listed the names of more than 120 political prisoners he was aware of in the Soviet Union.
https://www.msn.com/en-xl/news/other/putin-can-no-longer-cla…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — info@tvdata.tv The biography of Andrei Sakharov mentions that he received the Nobel Peace Prize in #1975 although he is one of the creators of the first Sov...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKfYQmpfeYU

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Andrei Sakharov. [Reprinted from his 1975 Nobel Peace Prize Lecture]. Peace, progress, human rights -- these three goals are indissolubly linked: it is impossible to achieve one of them if the others …
https://cooperative-individualism.org/sakharov-andrei_peace-…

schedule

Claim 5: “In Russia Muratov has been designated a "foreign agent"”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 6: “the authorities have blocked access to its website.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including The Moscow Times and other web results, confirm that Russian authorities blocked access to the Novaya Gazeta website.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Since then Novaya Gazeta has appeared online only, though its editorial team is still working out of Moscow, which is seen by some as one sign of resistance.[8] English-language articles on the websit…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novaya_Gazeta

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Russia on Sunday blocked the website of a new editorial project by independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta, which was forced to suspend publication in March amid repression of critics of the offensive in …
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2022/07/24/new-novaya-gazeta-…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The blocking of Novaya Gazeta signals the silencing of all the country's main independent media outlets, including Echo of Moscow radio and Dozhd TV, which have been shut down or have suspended operat…
https://www.dw.com/en/russia-revokes-independent-media-outle…

schedule

Claim 7: “Alexei Gorinov: a city councillor jailed for "knowingly spreading false information" about the Russian military”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 8: “four journalists - Antonina Favorskaya, Konstantin Gabov, Sergey Karelin and Artyom Kriger – convicted and jailed on extremism charges.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 9: “since the beginning of the year the need to use nuclear weapons has been mentioned more than 500 times.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding the number of times nuclear weapons have been mentioned since the beginning of the year.

help

Claim 10: “A decade later Amnesty International estimated more than 600 prisoners of conscience in the USSR.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to confirm or deny Amnesty International's estimate of 600 prisoners of conscience in the USSR a decade after 1975.

verified

Claim 11: “Muratov, 64, co-founded Novaya Gazeta more than 30 years ago.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and NobelPrize.org confirm Dmitry Muratov co-founded Novaya Gazeta after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 (approx 33 years ago). Britannica confirms his birth date as 1961, making him 63-64 years old.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Dmitry Anatolyevich Krymov (Russian: Дми́трий Анато́льевич Кры́мов; born 1954) is a Russian artist, scenographer, teacher and theater director, recipient of the five Golden Mask Awards.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dmitry_Krymov

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 12: “Putin issued a decree and the newspaper's printing presses were nationalised”

CORROBORATED

Web search results explicitly mention a decree signed by Putin on September 18 that nationalized printing presses, including those handed to Muratov.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — "Putin's Palace" (Russian: «Дворец Путина», romanized: "Dvorets Putina") is an Italianate palace complex located on the Black Sea coast near Gelendzhik, Krasnodar Krai, Russia. The complex first came …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Putin's_Palace

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Yevgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin (1 June 1961 – 23 August 2023) was a Russian mercenary leader, rebel commander, and oligarch. He led the Wagner Group, a private military company, and was a close confida…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yevgeny_Prigozhin

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 13: “six of [Novaya Gazeta's] journalists have been killed, including Anna Politkovskaya”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including Wikipedia and news reports, confirm that at least six Novaya Gazeta journalists have been killed, specifically naming Anna Politkovskaya.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On 7 October 2006, Russian journalist, writer and human rights activist Anna Politkovskaya was shot dead in the elevator of her apartment block in central Moscow. She was known for her opposition to t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Anna_Politkov…

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+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 14: “Pavel Kushnir died in a pre-trial detention centre during a hunger strike. He was 39.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 15: “In 2021 Muratov was joint winner of the Nobel Peace Prize”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Multiple authoritative sources, including Wikipedia and the official Nobel Prize website, confirm Dmitry Muratov was a joint winner of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2021 Nobel Peace Prize was announced by the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo on 8 October 2021. Maria Ressa (b. 1963) and Dmitry Muratov (b. 1961) received the prize "for their efforts to safegua…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_Nobel_Peace_Prize

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Norwegian Nobel Committee awards the Nobel Peace Prize annually "to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of stand…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nobel_Peace_Prize_laur…

+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.