Dmitry Muratov, editor-in-chief of the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, has announced that he will auction the Nobel Peace Prize medal he received last year to benefit children displaced by the war in Ukraine.

The Muratov Medal auction is held by the Heritage auction both in person and online. The proceeds will go to UNICEF’s mission to provide humanitarian assistance to Ukrainian children displaced by the war.

In 2021, Muratov was awarded the prize along with Filipino journalist Maria Ressa, who were honored by the Nobel Committee for “their efforts to defend freedom of speech.”

Noting that the newspaper suspended its activities in March last year after Russia passed a law providing for harsh prison terms for anyone who criticizes the Kremlin’s military operation in Ukraine. Muratov was part of a group of journalists who founded Novaya Gazeta in 1993 after the collapse of the Soviet Union. This year it became the only newspaper critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his policies at home and abroad.