“Peace is far more rewarding than war” | Interview with Dmitry Muratov | Nobel Peace Prize 2021

In the interview recorded in Oslo in 2025, Dmitry Muratov reflects on the responsibilities and informal “social network” of Nobel Prize laureates, describing how they mobilise collectively for ceasefires, political prisoners, and civilian protection. He pays tribute to Mikhail Gorbachev’s legacy of placing human life at the centre of politics, warning that modern dictatorships invert this principle by suppressing freedoms and waging war. Muratov calls for a renewed commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, urges global support for fact-checking in an age of algorithmic propaganda, and stresses the need for coordinated international efforts to free political prisoners in Russia and beyond. At its core, his message is that peace begins with defending human dignity — and that saving lives, including through prisoner exchanges, is essential to preserving that legacy.