the Russian journalist Dmitry Muratovwinner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021 and dissident of the government of Vladimir Putin, is inatake when he was about to board a train taking him out of Moscow: they threw paint at him and threatened him, shouting “for this to our men”, probably referring to the Russian soldiers who invaded Ukraine.

“When it was in the compartment Someone threw paint at me. My eyes are itching a lot, “he wrote in the Telegram channel of the Novaya Gazeta newspaper, a medium critical of Putin’s Muratov regime. directing since 1993.

The award-winning editor explained that, because of strong smell of paint in the wagon, the departure of the train to Samara, in the south of the country, It was delayed.

“I will try to wash myself,” he wrote in his comment on social networks, accompanied by a photo in selfie format in which he appears with the face and hair are completely painted redas well as his arms and clothes, and also the table and bed in his cabin.

According to the journalist, the attacker shouted: “Muratov, take our children“. Supposedly, the culprit is referring to Russian soldiers who have died in the Russian military invasion of Ukraine since it began on February 24.

Those casualties would be “significant”, as a Kremlin spokesman acknowledged on Thursday, Dmitry Peskovdescribed it as a “tragedy”, although the Ministry of Defense has so far reported only 1,351 dead.

In early March, Muratov called for an “unconditional” ceasefire. and admitted the threat of a nuclear war between Russia and NATO, then he announced the delivery of the Nobel Peace medal on a foundation assistance to Ukrainian refugees.

Novaya Gazetathe last independent media in Russia, announced its temporary closure at the end of March due to warnings from Russia’s communications regulator, the pressure that caused him to give up the scope of the war a few weeks before.

Condemning the world: “This is unacceptable”

The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign and Security Policy, Joseph Borrelldescribed the train attack against Dmitri Muratov as “unacceptable”.

“It’s completely unacceptable and another attack on the safety of journalists and freedom of the media of communication with Russia, ”Borrell said on his official Twitter account.

The head of European diplomacy added that “the EU will continue supporting Russian independent journalism“.

The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday suspended Russia from the UN Human Rights Council after the invasion of Ukraine, in a vote that signaled a weakening of international solidarity against Moscow.

Of the 193 members of the assembly, 93 voted in favor, 24 opposed and 58 abstained. This is a country’s second suspension from council, after Libya in 2011.

The abstentions, condemned by kyiv, were not considered because a favorable vote of two-thirds of the countries in favor or against was sufficient for a suspension.

including agencies.

DS