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A Russian Nobel Peace Prize co-laureate denounced President Vladimir Putin and the ongoing war with Ukraine in an acceptance speech on Saturday.
Yan Rachinsky, who accepted the prize on behalf of his organization, Memorial, one of Russia’s oldest civil rights groups, lamented actions that continued to “sow death and destruction on Ukrainian soil,” adding that the war was an “insane and criminal war of aggression against Ukraine.”
With millions displaced and tens of thousands killed since February, there is no indication that the war will end anytime soon. Rachinsky’s speech occurred just days after Putin publicly vowed he would “consistently fight for our interests” in continuing the conflict.
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.
