speaking russian narrator now on frontline, putin vs. The press. frontline is made possible by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. And by the corporation for public broadcasting. Additional support is provided by the abrams foundation, committed to excellence in journalism. Park foundation, dedicated to heightening Public Awareness of critical issues. The john d. And catherine t. Macarthur foundation committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. More at macfound. Org and by the frontline journalism fund, with major support from jon and jo ann hagler. And Additional Support from koo and patricia yuen, committed to bridging cultural differences in our communities. And from corey david sauer. speaking russian door opens in video in interview in video officer speaking russian muratov man and muratov speaking russian in interview people speaking russian fanfare playing fanfare continues the Nobel Peace Prize for 2021 has been awarded to two outstanding representatives of the press. audience applauding maria ressa, working in the philippines, and Dmitry Muratov, working in the russian federation. applauding speaking russian audience laughing crowd cheering and whistling people cheering and applauding air raid siren blaring the dawn chorus that no one wants to hear. Air raid sirens in kyiv signaling that the fullscale invasion of a european country in the year 2022 was well under way. speaking russian woman sniffling explosion roars, glass shattering, child crying jet engine roars explosion pounds speaking russian car horns honking people talking in background narrator Dmitry Muratov founded Novaya Gazeta in 1993. The paper is known for its investigative reporting, exposing the horrors of the chechen war, the corruption of the ruling elite, and the increasing authoritarianism of modern russia. Muratov has kept novaya alive by walking a tightrope, sometimes compromising with the kremlin, accepting frunding from oligarchs, and always keeping a channel open to putin. But in the spring of 2022, as we began filming with him, the authorities were increasingly cracking down on the media. Dima hi where are you . We dont see you. Im here. Narrator it will turn out to be a critical year for muratov, his paper, and his country. speaking russian true. speaking russian narrator novaya owes itsstence to another nobel laureate, former soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. He wanted an independent press force, and used his prize money to help fund the paper. speaking russian narrator gorbachev didnt just help found the paper, he took a stake in it. His status as a former president gave novaya a vital buffer against kremlin interference. speaking russian explosion pounds narrator as russian tanks pour into ukraine, the kremlin enacts new laws, effectively making it a crime to protest and criticize the war. Calling it an invasion or act of war could mean up to 15 years in prison. chanting in russian narrator to protect his journalists and stay in business, muratov looks for ways to work around the laws. He removes potentially violating language from the website, but continues to report on the conflict. speaking russian narrator 11 days after the russian invasion, muratov is in latvia. Heres to. Freedom. Narrator hes on the jury of a documentary film festival. chuckles speaking russian narrator in public, Dmitry Muratov is the star of the festival. In private, his trip has another purpose secret meetings with the latvian government. He is trying to get as many of his journalists as possible out of russia. speaking russian others speaking in background narrator hes well aware of the dangers to his team. Between 2000 and 2009, six novaya journalists and contributors were murdered. speaking russian shutters clicking narrator since the murders, muratov has occasionally struck bargains with the authorities to keep his employees safe. In 2009, to protect a reporter, he held off from covering the chechen conflict, where separatists were fighting the russianbacked government. speaking russian fires weapons firing in distance speaking ukrainian speaking russian both speaking russian narrator for three days, everyone around muratov tries to convince him not to go back to moscow. They argue it isnt safe, particularly after zelenskyys endorsement. But hes determined to return. speaking russian narrator just as he climbs into his van, another one pulls up. A group of russian journalists has escaped overnight from moscow. So how long have you known him . 15 years uh, no, yeah, 15 years. I came to Novaya Gazeta in 2006 when i was 19 years old. Uh, hes like my second father. People think that his job is to be the chief editor, but his job is to save people and he has always been like that. Poka im afraid. I mean, im afraid that, you know, something might happen to him. I wouldnt go, um. But that is why, you know, hes. Why wouldnt you go . Because i know that they, you know, they most likely will arrest me, i dont know. I know that, you know, nobody survives russian prison, or at least, you know, theres very small chance that you can survive russian prison. And he knows all of that, and despite that, he goes back. speaking russian narrator returning to moscow, muratov is among a dwindling number of independent journalists still in russia. speaking russian narrator even before the war, putin had enacted laws that meant media hostile to the kremlin could be fined, banned, and dubbed Foreign Agents. Muratov used his status and access to the president to confront him publicly. speaking russian speaking russian speaking russian why did you become a journalist . speaking russian narrator muratov started as a paratrooper fighting in afghanistan. Afteserving, he immediately joined a staterun newspaper as a war reporter. Fed up with censorship there, he and several colleagues left and founded Novaya Gazeta. Within two years, he was editor. Now muratovs plan is to stay one step ahead of the authorities, carefully navigating the censorship laws. speaking russian narrator for 24 days throughout march, he manages to get the paper out. people talking in background but then he suspends operations. speaking russian speaking english Novaya Gazeta forever speaking russian when . When . speaking russian speaking russian narrator muratovs decision to auction his nobel prize is provocative, publicly siding with ukraine and challenging putin. speaking russian door opens train announcement playing in background in video all speaking russian muratov officer and muratov speaking muratov in interview all speaking russian muratov in video officer speaking russian muratov in interview camera shutter clicking camera shutter clicks camera shutter clicks this happened after you announced the auction. So was it a message . speaking russian narrator everyone allegedly involved in the attack denied they had anything to do with it, even the people who ran the website where footage of it was posted. The paint was laced with acetone. speaking russian in interview children calling in background narrator as muratov recovers, its becoming increasingly clear that most of novayas reporters are going to have to leave russia. speaking russian gleb privet gleb narrator muratovs secret negotiations with the latvian government have produced results. In a riga suburb, a small group of novaya journalists are working on a new publication, novaya europe. To protect those of their colleagues still in russia, they have to be clear that the paper is not being run from moscow. We have to say that we totally different newspaper from Novaya Gazeta in moscow. You know, totally different. No connection at all. I, and, no. No connection at all. Yeah, yes. Theres absolutely. Absolutely another, another newspaper. laughing its, feel like you have some kind of duty. The dutys to stop war. Our mission, probably, is to bring some unpleasant truth for, for russians. For dima, how is it for him . I feel like its tragedy for him. Yes. Its a kind of personal loss. Our task is to show that it was not complete loss. weeping continues weeping speaking ukrainian man 2 man 1 was this orchestrated or was this from just rogue units of the russian army . Of course it was order to kill civilians. It was order, and what you see here in bucha, actually, you see, its not only war crimes, its crimes against humanity. gasping people talking in background narrator the shock of bucha is felt around the world. But in russia, with the press under kremlin control, reports of the atrocities are dismissed as lies, and public support for putin is up. speaking russian narrator in the buildup to war, propaganda helped turn Many Russians against the news media. Independent journalists were threatened and intimidated. speaking russian marching band playing speaking russian ura shouting ura ura narrator with novaya suspended in russia, more of its journalists have fled to riga, where the paper now has a new office. Lets see. So this is. Yeah, yeah. So this is home. This is home, yeah, this is our home. Narrator and theyve produced their First Published edition. We published here, like, a magazine. But we, we have a lot of problems wi cover, because any covers we did, it, it just look like russian Novaya Gazeta. And its unsafe for them. So we, we try to, to recreate newer, a new versions. If you can imagine, it was done in a week by a group of people who are basically sitting on suitcases. You can, you can imagine its kind of a good work, and basically, im proud of this. Narrator back in moscow, muratov and his remaining staff are still trying to get around the government restrictions. They plan to publish a new magazine. speaking russian both speaking russian speaking russian narrator they also want to launch a youtube channel. people talking in background speaking russian both speaking russian narrator four months into the war, Dmitry Muratov is in new york. Its auction day. speaking russian people talking in background camera shutters clicking dmitry, are you ready to do this . Are you ready . 875,000, now to go to 900,000. Now at 875,000, now to go to 900,000. Theres 900,000. Thank you very much. 925,000, now to go to nine, now to go to 950,000. 950,000 theres a Million Dollars were over a Million Dollars cheering and applauding okay, lets make a bet as to how much its going to get. I say twoandahalf million. breathes deeply speaking russian laughing theres 2 million, 2 million audience cheering and applauding 2 million, 2 million bid 302, 2 million there it is, 2. 4, 2. 5, now 2. 6, same bidders, back and forth. 2. 6 dont look at her, dont look at her. Now to go to 3 million. 3 million. audience cheering and applauding wow. Nick, are you on the phone . Lets go. Three, wait, theres 4 million audience cheers and applauds what do you think the russian government reaction to the auction is going to be . speaking russian im at 16. 6 million. 16. 6, take another good look at what youre getting. Now 16. 8 what do you think . Want to go to 16. 8 . He says hes thinking about it, 16. 8. New bidder, completely new guy. Statedvalue bid of 103,500,000. Udience gasps uh, can i, can i just hear that one more, one more time . softly statedvalue bid. Take your mask off so i can hear you, please. Statedvalue bid at 103,500,000. Well, thats one way to do it. audience cheers and applauds wow, thats a lot of dough. I could not believe that. Its just amazing, its. Speechless. man talking in background talking in background speaking russian speaking russian all speaking russian speaking russian woman speaking russian lets just bring you some breaking news. speaking italian russian president Mikhail Gorbachev has died. He was 91 years old. speaking russian fire speaking russian portret. Mmhmm, great shot. speaking russian narrator gorbachevs death is a turning point for the paper and its editor. It leaves muratov increasingly vulnerable to putin. speaking russian speaking russian narrator throughout the fall of 2022, there is a crackdown on highprofile opponents of the war. people cheer and applaud chanting in russian crowd clamoring speaking russian woman speaking russian on Television NarratorAlexei Navalnys case has a special resonance for muratov. The Opposition Leader nearly died when his underwear was poisoned with a deadly toxin. He recovered abroad, came back to russia, and was then imprisoned. speaking russian shutter clicks narrator in early september, the government intensifies its focus on muratov and novaya. It launches multiple court cases aimed at closing all of the papers Russian Operations for good. woman speaking russian speaking russian narrator with novaya completely shut down in russia, muratov is in vienna for another secret meeting. speaking russian narrator hes come to see kirill martynov, whos running novaya europe. They cant be seen in public together. It would leave muratov vulnerable to being branded a Foreign Agent by the kremlin. This is the only way that they can discuss the ongoing work of novayas one remaining publication. speaking russian the Prominent Russian journalist Elena Milashina has been violently attacked along with attorney alexander nemov. This journalist was left beaten and pleading for her life at gunpoint. She and her team were attacked by masked men in chechnya. Unknown assailants shaved off elenas hair, doused her in bluegreen liquid iodine. Elena milashina reports for Novaya Gazeta. Narrator muratovs longtime reporter in chechnya, Elena Milashina, had been repeatedly threatened by the chechen government for her coverage of human rights violations. Within hours, muratov leaves moscow to try and rescue her. speaking russian narrator the chechen and russian authorities vowed to investigate, but none of the attackers have been apprehended or identified. Muratov lands just outside chechnya, where he meets up with milashina. speaking russian monitor beeping muratov speaking russian milashina boop muratov milashina both murmuring talking in background people talking in background speaking russian go to pbs. Org frontline for more about Vladimir Putins crackdown on the press in russia. speaking russian and see all of our past coverage on putin and the war in ukraine. Connect with frontline on facebook, instagram and x, formerly known as twitter and watch anytime on the pbs app, youtube or pbs. Org frontline. The Houston Astros are world champions these guys are willing to do whatever it takes. The astros used a camera system to steal signs. The scandal is 5 of the story. Their pursuit of edge had a dark side to it. Its called the bleeding edge. You have to take risks. It became a brutally efficient business and the astros did better than anybody else. If you think youre right, youre willing to endure a lot. Id have thrown them all out. Lifetime ban . Lifetime ban. Narrator next time on frontline. Frontline is made possible by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. And by the corporation for public broadcasting. Additional support is provided by the abrams foundation, committed to excellence in journalism. Park foundation, dedicated to heightening Public Awareness of critical issues. The john d. And catherine t. Macarthur foundation committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. More at macfound. Org and by the frontline journalism fund, with major support from jon and jo ann hagler. And addional support from koo and patricia yuen, committed to bridging cultural differences in our communities. And from corey david sauer. Captioned by Media Access Group at wgbh access. Wgbh. Org. For more on this and other frontline programs visit our website at pbs. Org frontline. Frontlines putin vs. The press is available on amazon prime video. Youre watching pbs. This program was made possible by the generous support of our sponsors. The colin powell school, the school of social sciences at the city college of new york, educating a diverse student body to become tomorrows global leaders. The institute on race, power and political economy, in partnership with the schools for Public Engagement at the new school, advancing research to identify groundbreaking ways to promote equity worldwide