The incident occurred in a train compartment at the Moscow railway station Kazansky heading to Samara.
“They poured oil paint with acetone in the compartment. Eyes burn terribly. Train Moscow-Samara. Oily smell all over the car. Departure has already been delayed by 30 minutes. I'll try to wash off. He shouted: "Muratov, here's to you for our boys," said the editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta.
A statement claiming the responsibility for the attack published on the Telegram channel "Soyuz Z paratroopers" was deleted shortly afterward.
According toNovaya Gazeta, “Union Z paratroopers” is a community in memory of Pavel Yakovlevich Popovskikh, the former head of the Interregional Public Organization of Veterans of the Airborne Forces and Special Forces. In 1998-2006, Popovskikh was brought to court in the case of the murder of Dmitry Kholodov, a journalist for Moskovsky Komsomolets. He was eventually acquitted.
Last night, the Ministry of Internal Affairs told TASS that police were looking for two men according to footage from the train station.
On 28 March 2022, Novaya Gazeta decided to suspend its online and print operations until the end of the war in Ukraine after receiving a second warrant from Roskomnadzor, the Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Communications. Novaya Gazeta stands among the country’s most important independent publications.
IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said: " We condemn in the strongest terms this clear act of intimidation against Dmitry Muratov, a highly respected Russian journalist. We urge Russian authorities to stop targeting the press and respect fundamental press freedom principles".
EFJ General Secretary Ricardo Gutiérrez said: "This attack against one of the most prominent Russian journalist is a warning. Independent journalists are no longer safe in Russia. We stand by Novaya Gazeta and Russia's independent journalism which is in great danger."