In an acceptance address on Saturday, a Russian Nobel Peace Prize co-laureate condemned President Vladimir Putin and the ongoing conflict with Ukraine.
Yan Rachinsky, who accepted the award on behalf of Memorial, one of Russia’s oldest civil rights organizations, bemoaned activities that continued to “sow death and ruin on Ukrainian soil,” calling the war a “insane and criminal campaign of aggression against Ukraine.”
With millions of people displaced and tens of thousands murdered since February, there is no sign that the war will stop soon. Rachinsky’s remarks came just days after Putin publicly pledged to “consistently fight for our interests” in the conflict’s continuation.
The Russian authorities, which shut down Rachinsky’s organization last year, reportedly warned him not to accept the award, as he confirmed to the BBC. In the interview, Rachinsky said he decided to ignore the advice, despite threats to his safety.
“In today’s Russia, no one’s personal safety can be guaranteed,” Rachinsky told the BBC. “Yes, many have been killed. But we know what impunity of the state leads to. … We need to get out of this pit somehow.”
Rachinsky and the other co-laureates received the prize for “an outstanding effort to document war crimes, human right abuses and the abuse of power,” according to the committee. In his speech, Rachinsky acknowledged the civil rights milestones his organization achieved, while also lamenting that it didn’t stop Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
This year’s prize was split by Memorial, the Center for Civil Liberties in Ukraine, and Belarusian advocate Ales Bialiatski. The Nobel Committee commented on its choice to jointly award three individuals from neighboring nations in a press release.
