Russia's Novaja gazeta to close after 33 years, blaming authorities and security services

In brief

• Novaja gazeta, one of Russia's last independent newspapers, will close on 9 November after more than 30 years.
• Its editors blame pressure from Russian authorities and security services.
• The paper was labelled a foreign agent in September, lost reader donations and must leave its Moscow office.

Closure announced

Novaja gazeta, one of the last independent newspapers in Russia, will stop publishing on 9 November, its editors announced on the paper's website on Friday (Nezávislý ruský denník Novaja gazeta po 30 rokoch končí – STVR) (Novaja gazeta končí. Nezávislý ruský list jako důvod uvedl tlak úřadů a bezpečnostních složek – iROZHLAS). The statement said Russian authorities and security services forced the newsroom to close, and that the paper no longer exists in practice (Ruský nezávislý list Novaja gazeta po více než 30 letech končí, tlak už byl neúnosný – iDNES.cz). Editor-in-chief Sergei Sokolov said the authorities and security services had pushed the paper to shut down (Niezależna „Nowaja Gazieta” kończy działalność. „Władze i służby zmusiły nas do tego” – Rzeczpospolita).

Office and museum to close

Reports earlier in the week said the editorial staff must leave its building in central Moscow, where it had been based for nearly 30 years. The Anna Politkovskaya Museum, located at the same address, will also close. Politkovskaya, an investigative reporter who covered abuses in Russia, was shot dead in Moscow on 7 October 2006.

Foreign agent label

In September the Russian Ministry of Justice added Novaja gazeta to its list of foreign agents. The ministry said the paper spread unreliable information about government decisions and the electoral system. The designation ended the paper's ability to receive donations from readers, which was one of its last sources of funding inside Russia.

Years of pressure

After Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the paper suspended its print edition and later lost its media licence in Russia. Some of its staff left the country and continued work abroad. Six of the paper's journalists have been murdered over its history, and the newsroom faced years of harassment and attacks (Nezomreli sme, zabili nás. Putinov režim zničil posledné nezávislé noviny v Rusku – SME.sk).