Russia's last independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta closes after 33 years

Novaya Gazeta, Russia's most prominent independent newspaper, announced on Friday that it will permanently close on November 9 after more than three decades of operation. The editorial board attributed the closure to sustained pressure from Russian authorities, stating in a statement entitled "We were killed" that "The Russian authorities and the Russian security services have forced our editorial team to cease operations." Editor-in-chief Sergei Sokolov confirmed the decision in a video statement, saying: "On November 9 we will turn off the lights in our home, where we have lived for 30 years. We will shut down the servers and leave."

The closure marks a decisive moment in Russia's media landscape following the country's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Novaya Gazeta, founded in 1993 with financial assistance from former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, had faced escalating restrictions including the revocation of its publishing license, blocking of its website, designation as a "foreign agent," and the disabling of its donation system. The newspaper's offices in central Moscow have been seized, and landlords issued an eviction order. Recent pressure intensified after journalist Oleg Roldugin was arrested in April on charges of "unlawful access to computerised information" and placed under house arrest; editor-in-chief Sergei Sokolov's home was subsequently searched in connection with the case. In response to Russia's laws criminalizing criticism of the war in Ukraine, the newspaper published blank white spaces instead of state-mandated euphemisms, serving as a visible reminder of censorship.

Novaya Gazeta had maintained a reputation for fearless investigative journalism on corruption, human rights violations, and abuses of power—topics considered dangerous in contemporary Russia. Over its 33-year history, six journalists connected to the publication were killed, including Anna Politkovskaya, who was shot dead in her Moscow apartment building in 2006 after reporting on wars in Chechnya. The newspaper's long-time editor-in-chief Dmitry Muratov shared the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for efforts to safeguard freedom of expression; however, he was designated a "foreign agent" in 2023. Muratov was also attacked on a train in April 2022 when an assailant poured red paint on him, causing damage to his eyesight.

The newspaper halted its print edition inside Russia by the end of March 2022 but continued publishing a series of magazines with limited print runs (under 1,000 copies, which do not require official licensing) and maintained an online presence accessible through virtual private networks. Several exiled former employees established a separate outlet, Novaya Gazeta Europe, based in Latvia, which will continue operating despite being designated an "undesirable organisation" by Russian authorities. The closure of Novaya Gazeta represents the end of the last major independent media outlet operating from inside Russia that was critical of the Kremlin, following a broader crackdown on press freedom and arrests of regime critics since the Ukraine invasion.