The independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta has announced it is closing, citing mounting pressure from authorities who recently searched the home of its senior editor and earlier this year detained one of its journalists. Sergei Sokolov, the editor-in-chief, confirmed the closure in a video statement published on YouTube on Friday. “Novaya Gazeta is ceasing to exist,” Sokolov said. “The Russian authorities – the Russian special services – have forced the editorial team to end its work.”
Sokolov stated that the publication, which has operated for 30 years, will officially shut down its servers and leave its premises on November 9. “Novaya Gazeta has been killed,” he added. The closure follows a series of actions against the outlet, including a recent criminal case involving Sokolov’s colleague, Oleg Roldugin. Authorities searched Sokolov’s home and took him in for questioning this month regarding the case against Roldugin, who was arrested in April.
Roldugin, who has pleaded not guilty according to the state RIA news agency, was charged with “unlawful access to computerised information.” He remains under house arrest, which has been extended until November 10, while awaiting trial. Russia has implemented near-Soviet levels of censorship since the start of its military offensive in Ukraine in February 2022, a policy that has driven the vast majority of independent journalists into exile. Moscow has classified Novaya Gazeta as a “foreign agent,” a label used to stifle dissent.
The newspaper significantly reduced its production within Russia after the offensive began, and authorities revoked its media license in 2022. The outlet is widely recognized for its history of independent journalism, notably under its former editor-in-chief, Dmitry Muratov, who jointly won the Nobel peace prize in 2021 for his efforts to safeguard freedom of expression.
