Those in our country who advocate for peace have been denied the right to read what they choose, as we see happening today,
Dmitry Muratov said as Al Jazeera reported.
The Russian investigative newspaper Novaya Gazeta ended operations on Monday due to mounting pressure from authorities. The publication held its final editorial meeting that day and officially closed its newsroom in Moscow.
The closure follows an announcement last month that the outlet was forced to shut down after Moscow classified it as a foreign agent
label used to stifle dissent. In September, the outlet received the designation, which prompted banks to stop processing reader donations on which it relied for financial survival.
State scrutiny over Russian media intensified amid Moscow’s war on Ukraine. In October, authorities searched the home of editor-in-chief Sergei Sokolov and took him in for questioning. Another editor at the paper, Oleg Roldugin, was arrested in April.
Novaya Gazeta stood as one of the few remaining outlets in Russia that openly criticised the war and Kremlin policies. The Kremlin played down the closure, describing it as a normal cycle of change.
United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk said in October that the newspaper’s closure was yet another devastating blow for remaining independent media
in Russia.
Mikhail Gorbachev, the former Soviet leader, co-founded the paper using funds from his 1990 Nobel Peace Prize. The outlet continued reporting despite increased censorship after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Several reporters from the paper have been murdered in killings widely seen as retribution for their work. Anna Politkovskaya, who spent years investigating abuses by the Russian military in Chechnya and criticised President Vladimir Putin’s rule, was found dead in her apartment block in 2006.
| Event / Milestone | Date | Key Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Politkovskaya Murder | 2006 | Found dead in apartment block after Chechnya investigations |
| Gorbachev Funding | 1990 | Co-founded with Nobel Peace Prize money |
| Invasion Censorship | 2022 | Continued reporting despite post-invasion tightening |
| Editor Arrest | April 2026 | Editor Oleg Roldugin arrested |
| Designation | September 2026 | Classified as a “foreign agent” |
| Home Search | October 2026 | Editor-in-chief Sergei Sokolov’s home searched |
| Final Meeting | November 2026 | Held last editorial meeting and closed newsroom |
Muratov added that constitutional guarantees for political and civil rights had effectively ceased to function.
