Novaya Gazeta, one of Russia’s last independent news outlets, announced on Friday it would close down operations due to pressure from authorities. Editor-in-chief Sergei Sokolov stated that ongoing state pressure and security service interventions have dismantled the publication’s operations.
The closure marks the end of a 30-year presence that began in the early 1990s under the patronage of former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. Operating with an adversarial relationship with the Kremlin, the newsroom built its reputation on uncovering state corruption and wrongdoing.
That investigative mandate carried a human cost. Over three and a half decades of operation, six journalists associated with the publication were murdered. The casualties included Anna Politkovskaya, an ardent critic of President Vladimir Putin who reported extensively on human rights abuses in Chechnya and was murdered outside her Moscow apartment in 2006 on Putin’s birthday. In October 2021, co-founder Dmitry Muratov was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize alongside Philippines journalist Maria Ressa for their “efforts to safeguard freedom of expression.” In April 2022, Muratov said he was attacked with acetone laced red paint while traveling on a train from Moscow to the city of Samara, an assault after which the perpetrators were let go.
The Cascade of State Pressure and Forced Exile
The institutional pressure accelerated following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In March 2022, Russian lawmakers criminalized the spread of “fake” news that discredits the Russian military, prompting scores of journalists to flee into exile. Concurrently, Russia’s media regulator, Roskomnadzor, issued warnings after Muratov and other prominent independent Russian journalists interviewed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Faced with mounting threats, Novaya Gazeta initially suspended publication of its online and print editions in Russia. An offshoot publication, Novaya Gazeta Europe, is based in Riga, Latvia. Inside Russia, authorities revoked its license and blocked access to its website. The state designated both Muratov and the newspaper itself as “foreign agents,” imposing practical legal implications such as cumbersome financial penalties and reporting requirements.
The pressure intensified through the judicial system. Oleg Roldugin, an investigative journalist for the paper, was arrested earlier this year for “unlawful access to computerized information.” Concurrently, security forces detained Editor-in-chief Sergei Sokolov for questioning and his home was searched in connection with the case.
The Final Shutdown and Loss of Financial Lifelines
The combination of asset seizures and legal blockades proved insurmountable. Authorities revoked the paper’s license and blocked its website inside Russia. The publication’s donations platform that allowed it to receive financial support from its readers has been shut down.
“We carried on as long as we could, but we were evicted from our home and our donations platform that allowed us to receive financial support from our readers has been shut down,” Novaya Gazeta said in a statement published on Friday. “We have been stripped of all our resources. Entirely.”
Editor-in-chief Sergei Sokolov delivered a statement in a video.
“Novaya Gazeta has been killed,” Sokolov said. “On November 9, we will turn off the lights in the home where we have lived for 30 years. We will shut down our servers and leave…The Russian security services have forced the editorial team to cease operations.”
| Milestone / Event | Date / Period | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation | Early 1990s | Established partially under the patronage of Mikhail Gorbachev |
| Anna Politkovskaya Murder | 2006 | Murdered outside her Moscow apartment on Putin’s birthday |
| Nobel Peace Prize | October 2021 | Awarded to co-founder Dmitry Muratov for efforts to safeguard freedom of expression |
| Military Censorship Laws | March 2022 | Criminalization of “fake” news that discredits the Russian military |
| Final Operational Shutdown | November 9 | Date cited for turning off lights and shutting down servers |
Eradication of the Domestic Information Space
Reflecting on the broader implications, Sokolov said he believes Novaya Gazeta’s fate reflected the situation in Russian society more broadly which faces a suppressed media landscape. Without independent sources, citizens have few avenues to verify local events.
“The information space in Russia has disappeared,” Sokolov said. “People do not know, and have no way of finding out, even what is happening in the neighboring street, because the sources of news available to them are either stories about a Russia that does not exist or propaganda promoting the way of thinking the ruling elite wants to impose on the public.”
Muratov has remained a public voice campaigning for release of Russian political prisoners. The Atlantic in September reported on his efforts to lobby for US diplomacy to release jailed Russian dissidents.
The editorial team announced that one final issue will be published. In its statement, the team acknowledged that the entity cannot continue working under its current name.
“We cannot continue working under the name ‘Novaya Gazeta,’” the paper said. “‘Novaya’ no longer exists. One final issue will be published — and that’s it. After that, we’ll take a pause, reflect, and come up with a new life for ourselves.”
