Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov sold his Nobel medal at an auction in New York: the money will go to help Ukrainians

Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov auctioned a Nobel medal in New York to raise money for Ukrainian refugee children. As a result, the medal was sold for $103,5 million, breaking the Nobel Prize record. The Guardian. This amount is all the more striking when you consider that the melted 175 grams of 23-carat gold Muratov's medal would cost about $10.

“I was hoping people would show solidarity,” Muratov said after the sale. “But I didn’t expect it to be such a huge amount.”

Previously, the most expensive of those sold at auction was the Nobel medal of James Watson. His joint discovery of the structure of DNA earned him the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1962. And in 2014, he sold his medal for $4,76 million.

Muratov is the only Russian to win the Nobel Peace Prize. He received this award in October 2021 for his “efforts to protect freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace.” Muratov is the founder of the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, it was his journalistic activity that brought him the Nobel Prize.

The idea to auction his prize belonged to Muratov, but according to him, it was supported by the entire editorial staff of Novaya Gazeta. He previously announced that he would donate the $500 cash prize that comes with the medal to charity. According to him, the idea behind the donation is to give refugee children a chance for a future.

Muratov said the proceeds from the sale of the medal would go directly to UNICEF to help children who fled the war from Ukraine. When asked why he chose UNICEF as the beneficiary, Muratov replied: “It is very important for us that this organization does not belong to any government. UNICEF can work above the government. There are no boundaries for him.” Prior to the auction, Muratov said he was particularly concerned about children orphaned by the conflict in Ukraine.

“We want to give them back a future,” he said. “This should be the start of a flash mob for people to auction their valuables to help Ukrainians.”

The medal was bought by an unknown

The auction in New York was lively, with thunderous applause. And the bidders incited each other to increase the final amount. When the final proposal arrived, tens of millions of dollars more than the previous one, many in the audience were in shock, including Muratov. The name of the buyer was not disclosed - he wished to remain anonymous.

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Problems with power

Muratov has been highly critical of Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea and the war launched in February that forced nearly 5 million Ukrainians to flee to other countries in search of safety. As a result, it led to the largest humanitarian crisis in Europe since the Second World War. Independent journalists in Russia have come under close scrutiny from the Kremlin or have become direct targets of the government.

Muratov announced his intention to sell the Nobel medal back in March, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Shortly thereafter, Novaya Gazeta announced that it was suspending publication of the paper on its website, social networks and in paper form until the end of the war in Ukraine. The publication explained this decision by the fact that it received a second warning from Roskomnadzor, because of which “the newspaper cannot continue to work.”