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When asked about the risk of nuclear war, Muratov warned that "continued escalation all the way to the use of a nuclear weapon" is the logical end point of Russia's strategy of "destroying" Ukraine . He said no one truly knows what Putin will do, calling political experts who claim certainty "charlatans" and comparing their work to "astrology" .

He offered a chilling data point: since the start of 2026, the need to use nuclear weapons has been mentioned on Russian state TV and at state-run forums more than 500 times .

Press freedom 'no longer exists'

Muratov's own newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, was a symbol of independent journalism in Russia for more than 30 years. "There is no newspaper anymore," he told the BBC, explaining that the Kremlin nationalised its printing presses and revoked its registration .

He described a sweeping crackdown on dissent that he said has reached levels unseen even during the Soviet era:

• At least 1,500 people are now imprisoned in Russia for speaking out against state policy — "three times more than during the savage days of the KGB in the USSR" .
• Most independent opinion leaders have been declared "foreign agents," "extremists," or "terrorists" .

Putin's grip on power: fear, not conspiracy

Muratov dismissed Western speculation about elite splits or internal conspiracies against the president. "The country is run by Vladimir Putin. They're frightened of him. And this fear is reinforced in every way by his main support base: the Federal Security Service (FSB)" .

Putin 'laughs out loud' at Western hypocrisy

Turning to the international response, Muratov said Putin "knows the true value" of European leaders. He argued that while Western leaders lecture Putin on human rights and European values, many have continued to sign trade agreements with Russia on oil, gas, and diamonds — and that Putin "laughs out loud" at that hypocrisy .