Novaya Gazeta Closes Amid Russia’s Media Crackdown

Novaya Gazeta, one of Russia’s best-known independent newspapers, is shutting down after losing its Moscow office and being blocked from receiving donations, according to the publication. Co-founder Dmitry Muratov says authorities have progressively dismantled the paper’s ability to operate: blocking its websites, banning its print edition, revoking its media licence, designating staff as “foreign agents,” and restricting its finances. Muratov, who received the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for defending freedom of expression, was himself labelled a foreign agent in 2023. The paper became known for investigative reporting on corruption, human rights abuses and official misconduct. It says six of its colleagues were killed in the course of their work, including journalist Anna Politkovskaya, who was murdered twenty years ago after reporting on the wars in Chechnya. Her preserved office had served as a memorial; following the eviction, most of its contents have been removed. In its closure statement, Novaya Gazeta blamed Russian authorities and security services, describing the shutdown as a coordinated act and saying that human rights, freedoms and the rule of law had been suppressed. The article places the closure in the context of mounting pressure on independent media since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Laws introduced after the invasion punish dissent and criticism of the war. More recently, police searched the newspaper’s offices, investigative journalist Oleg Roldugin was arrested and charged with unlawful access to computerised information, and editor-in-chief Sergei Sokolov was questioned while his home was searched. The paper had continued in a reduced form, with readers using VPNs to access its blocked website, but the loss of its licence and other restrictions proved decisive. Muratov says the publication will try to remain true to its values, particularly the human right to life. The closure, the article concludes, marks the end of an era and reflects Russia’s increasingly authoritarian climate.

Novaya Gazeta, one of Russia’s last major independent newspapers, announced that it would cease operations on November 9, saying Russian authorities and security services had left its staff no choice. Editor in chief Sergei Sokolov said the government and security services had forced the editorial team to stop working. The closure followed the staff’s eviction from the newspaper’s Moscow newsroom and the shutdown of its reader-donation system, which had been its only remaining source of funding. The Anna Politkovskaya Museum, located in the journalist’s former office, will also close. Founded in 1993 with money donated by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev from his Nobel Peace Prize award, Novaya Gazeta became known for investigative reporting on corruption and human rights abuses. Its journalists included Anna Politkovskaya, whose coverage of the Chechen war was widely recognized. She was murdered in Moscow in 2006; her convicted killer was pardoned in 2023 after joining the military to fight in Ukraine. Former editor Dmitry Muratov received the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize jointly with Philippine journalist Maria Ressa for defending freedom of expression. The newspaper suspended print and online operations after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, following warnings from the state media regulator over alleged violations of laws against “false information.” A court revoked its media license in September of that year. Its closure leaves no major independent newspapers operating inside Russia. Independent radio station Ekho Moskvy and TV Rain had also been forced to stop operating there, while a sister outlet established in Europe by some Novaya Gazeta staff is blocked in Russia. TV Rain news director Katya Kotrikadze said the closure was unsurprising, arguing that press freedom had been destroyed in Russia for years and censorship prevented Novaya Gazeta from objectively covering the war. The newspaper said it would share more information about its future in the coming days.

Russian independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta says it will cease operations on November 9, after what its editorial team describes as a coordinated campaign by Russian authorities and security services to deprive it of the resources needed to continue. The paper says it is shutting down its servers and leaving its Moscow headquarters on Potapovsky Lane. It also reports that its reader-donation platform has been closed and that banks have cut it off from services. The newsroom says it has been stripped of all its resources and accuses state security services of influencing the rules followed by businesses and institutions. Novaya Gazeta has been one of the few Russian outlets openly critical of the war in Ukraine. Authorities revoked its media licence in 2022, and journalists have been detained. After Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022, the newspaper said it could no longer report on many of the most important events, amid censorship across civic life. It suspended work in March 2022 following warnings from media monitor Roskomnadzor, then later resumed operations. Some journalists subsequently left Russia and established Novaya Gazeta Europe, headquartered in Latvia. One final print issue is still planned. Independent Russian journalists issued a statement praising Novaya Gazeta’s investigations, writing, awards and history, which includes the Nobel Prize awarded to editor Dmitry Muratov and the deaths of journalists. The closure also means the museum dedicated to journalist Anna Politkovskaya, located in her former office, will shut. Founded in 1993, the newspaper’s early computers were bought with assistance from former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. The article presents the closure as a major loss for independent Russian journalism and press freedom.

Russia’s Novaya Gazeta, one of the country’s best-known independent newspapers, announced on Friday, October 30, 2026, that it would cease publication after more than three decades. The newspaper was recognized for its investigative journalism, described in the report as courageous. It said that a Kremlin crackdown and a ban on the outlet had made it impossible to continue its work. The announcement marks the end of a long-running independent publication amid restrictions on media in Russia. The France 24 report provides no further detail about the ban, the newspaper’s decision-making process, or what will happen to its journalists and investigations. The article is presented as a short video report by Shirli Sitbon.