Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov auctioned on Monday the medal he received when he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and raised US$103.5 million to help Ukrainian children displaced by war in his country.

Muratov is head of the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta, which last March announced its closure after repeated warnings it received from the Russian government as a result of its strong criticism of President Vladimir Putin.

The bidding lasted around 20 minutes and was conducted by the Heritage house, which waived charging fees so that the amount can be donated in full to the cause. During that time, the price jumped from $787,000 to as high as $15 million. Later, an anonymous buyer reported by phone that he was paying $103.5 million.

Although it is not the first time that a Nobel medal, which is made up of 175 grams of 23-carat gold, has been auctioned, never before has a figure of this magnitude been reached. The record, until now, belonged to one that had been sold in 2014 for about US$4.76 million.

The editor put a stop to the festive atmosphere that was lived in the Heritage auction house, in New York, by stating that there was nothing to celebrate there. In this context, he recalled that 40% of Ukrainian refugees are children who had to flee their country as a result of the Russian invasion.

“They have killed their past and now they want to destroy their future,” he stressed. Likewise, she remarked that she hopes that her gesture will serve as an inspiration for other people to follow her same path.

Muratov was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021, along with his Philippine colleague Maria Ressa. The Norwegian Committee recognized their courageous struggles for press freedom and their denunciations of abuses of power in their respective countries.

“Mrs. Ressa and Mr. Muratov represent all journalists who uphold these ideals in a world where democracy and freedom of the press face increasingly adverse conditions,” said Committee Chair Berit Reiss-Andersen.