Novaya Gazeta to cease operations after Russian state pressure

Russian investigative newspaper Novaya Gazeta has announced it will shut down.

The editorial board cited pressure from state authorities and intelligence services in a statement released on Friday, October 30. The board titled the announcement “We were killed” and declared that the newspaper is gone.

Editor-in-chief Sergei Sokolov confirmed the decision in a video statement posted on YouTube. He stated that the paper is ceasing to exist. The office will turn off the lights on November 9. Staff will shut down the servers and leave the building. This marks the end of 30 years of operations at that location.

The closure follows a series of legal actions against the staff. Russian authorities searched Sokolov's home earlier in October. He was taken in for questioning due to a link with a criminal case involving colleague Oleg Roldugin. Roldugin was arrested in April and charged with unlawful access to computerized information. Sokolov was formally arrested on October 15.

Novaya Gazeta has been designated a “foreign agent” by the Moscow government. This label is used to mark outlets critical of the state. The paper is one of the few remaining independent journalism operations in Russia. Its status has changed since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders commented on the arrest of Sokolov. The organization asked how far the Kremlin's campaign would go. It noted that six journalists and staff members have been murdered. The newsroom has been raided and journalists prosecuted. The publication has faced increasing scrutiny and censorship levels have risen since the war began.

The newspaper had already reduced production inside Russia. Authorities revoked its media license after the invasion began in 2022. Dmitry Muratov, the previous editor-in-chief, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021 for his efforts to safeguard freedom of expression at the helm of the paper.