Novaïa Gazeta, a cornerstone of independent journalism in Russia for three decades, announced on Friday, October 30, that it will permanently cease operations. The newspaper, known for its investigative reporting on government corruption, state violence, and human rights abuses, stated that it is closing due to sustained pressure from Russian authorities. Editor-in-Chief Sergei Sokolov confirmed the decision in a YouTube video, describing the situation as deeply personal and dramatic before declaring that the publication has been killed by the state.
According to Sokolov, the newspaper will extinguish its lights and shut down its servers on November 9, marking the end of thirty years at its Moscow headquarters. The editorial team revealed in a statement that they received an eviction notice ordering them to vacate their historic offices. Furthermore, the financial systems used to receive donations have been blocked, leaving the staff without funding or a workplace under the constant threat of repression.
Sokolov accused the Kremlin of destroying human rights in Russia, noting that defending such rights is now treated as a crime. He highlighted that elected institutions and civil society organizations have effectively been dismantled. The crackdown on the newspaper intensified significantly over recent months. In April, the editorial office was raided and a journalist was arrested. By September, Novaïa Gazeta was designated as a "foreign agent," and on October 15, Sokolov himself was arrested and his home searched in connection with a criminal case involving colleague Oleg Roldouguine.
Founded in 1993 with support from Mikhail Gorbachev, the newspaper has long been a target of Vladimir Putin's administration, particularly since the war in Ukraine began. While the print edition was temporarily halted in March 2022 and some journalists exiled to launch Novaïa Gazeta Europe, the Moscow team continued publishing online and in limited print runs of fewer than 1,000 copies to avoid media registration requirements. The publication's commitment to covering sensitive topics, including Russian military crimes, elite corruption, the Wagner Group, and repression in Chechnya, came at a high cost; six journalists or contributors have been killed since its inception, including Anna Politkovskaïa.
Before its final extinction, Sokolov announced that a last issue of Novaïa Gazeta will be published. The closure marks the end of an era for Russian independent media, leaving the team without means of subsistence after three decades of shared life with the country and its citizens.
Sources: RFI.