The editor in chief of the independent Moscow-based newspaper Novaya gazeta, Dmitry Muratov, will be selling his Nobel Prize medal later this month to help Ukrainian refugees, Dallas, Texas-based Heritage Auctions says.
The current bid for the medal that will be auctioned on June 20 is $260,000, Heritage Auctions said.
Muratov, who was awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for his journalistic work in Russia, announced his decision to auction his medal on March 22, saying that the money will be used to assist Ukrainian refugees who had to flee the country because of Russia's invasion.
Since early March, Muratov and his newspaper have avoided reporting what is happening in Ukraine because of official Russian censorship and the threat of criminal prosecution for journalists who do not follow the government line.
Russian media watchdog Roskomnadzor has banned the description of Russia's action in Ukraine as an invasion or a war, instead insisting it is referred to by its official name -- a "special military operation."
A recent law signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin envisages prison sentences of up to 10 years for individuals who violate the rule.
The penalty for the distribution of what authorities deem "deliberately false information" about the Russian military that leads to "serious consequences" is 15 years in prison.
