It was an ostensible protest against Muratov’s newspaper which has been critical of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Nobel peace prize winner and Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov said that he was attacked with paint while travelling on the Moscow-Samara train, the BBC reported. Muratov said that a male attacker shouted “Muratov, this is for our boys,” and threw red paint over him and his belongings.

The incident on Thursday was ostensibly a protest against Muratov’s newspaper Novoya Gazeta – which has been critical of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and had earlier suspended operations on March 28 after receiving a warning from Russian communication regulator Roskomnadzor.

Muratov was quoted as saying, “They poured oil paint with acetone in the compartment. Eyes burn terribly.”

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, it has been widely reported that the Roskomnadzor has cracked down on the media. News organisations have been asked to call the invasion a “special military operation” and have been directed to avoid using words such as “war” and “invasion”. On March 4, Russia passed a new law which punishes anyone spreading “false information” about the Ukraine invasion with up to 15 years of imprisonment.