The current narrative about the Lebedev family in the British press is unfair and inaccurate. I urge my UK readers to rethink what they are being told about the Lebedevs, who I believe have had unfair accusations levelled against them in recent weeks.
Novaya Gazeta, one of the last independent Russian free speech institutions, survives to this day thanks to the Lebedevs, who took on great risks to keep it alive. My work at Novaya Gazeta was recognised when I won the Nobel peace prize last year on behalf of the newspaper.
Novaya Gazeta wouldn’t have survived, and I couldn’t possibly have won the Nobel peace prize, if Alexander Lebedev hadn’t financed it. The paper was established in 1993 thanks to Mikhail Gorbachev, the former Soviet leader, who used funds from his own Nobel peace prize to set it up. Despite this, there was hardly any money. Sometimes, salaries would go unpaid and there were serious questions about whether we could continue. We survived in large part because of the help we received from the Lebedevs.
I do not exaggerate when I say the paper has been one of the last bastions of free speech in my country. It has enabled me and countless others to report on contentious topics in Russia for decades.
Alexander began supporting Novaya Gazeta after the tragic assassination of Anna Politkovskaya in 2006. The paper was at risk of folding and, entirely disheartened, I considered letting it close. It was only after the intervention of Alexander, who was a great friend of Anna’s, and Gorbachev that we decided to continue operating.
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Between 2000 and 2021, six of our journalists were killed on duty, including Anna. One must only look at the deeply tragic fates of some of those who have worked at this paper to understand the risk for anyone who associates themselves with it.
Therefore it is absurd to me, and to other independent reporters in Russia, that Alexander is characterised as a security risk for anyone abroad. He is someone who stood up for the opposition media, even when it came at serious personal cost.
The Lebedevs have supported the universal ideals of independent journalism, competitive politics and transparent corporate governance everywhere, including in Russia. Were that not the case, why then, when Alexander attempted to become mayor of Sochi, was he disqualified, considered an unpalatable candidate? Why, when he was a shareholder of Aeroflot, did he then put Alexei Navalny, arguably the most outspoken critic of the Kremlin alive today, on the board?
The narrative being peddled in parts of the British media about him and his family is not only misjudged but actively dangerous. I urge you to consider who benefits from such untruths being told about a family that is known to be vocally critical of the Kremlin.
As a journalist I maintain high standards of morality and evidence-based reporting without relying on conjecture. I hope my British counterparts will do the same.
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We are aware that the UK is reassessing its security risks regarding those who pose a danger to the country. The Lebedevs do not, and focusing on them is misguided.
The focus must shift to the real crooks. There are supporters of the Kremlin hiding in plain sight, in Knightsbridge, or perhaps Chelsea, who are the real criminals; the ones we have been attempting to report on for years. These thieves stole from the Russian state and then settled in their luxurious townhouses, surrounded by an army of PR people, lawyers and estate agents who all enabled them to sequester their ill-gotten riches.
They are who your government and courts should be pursuing. If the people of Britain truly care about a free and independent press, about democracy and freedom of speech, then they should not hunt down those who have fought brave battles to uphold these values.
As a reporter, as a Nobel peace prizewinner, as a member of the Russian opposition, I say to you this: the Lebedevs are not your enemy.
Dmitry Muratov is editor in chief of Novaya Gazeta and a Nobel peace laureate
