Russia’s independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta announced on Oct 30 that it is closing, saying state pressure had "killed" it after years of repression over its coverage of the war in Ukraine. According to the Straits Times, the paper said it had been targeted for reporting that criticised the Kremlin and its war. SCMP reports that the announcement was made on a Friday and describes the paper as one of the last outlets to openly criticise Russia’s offensive in Ukraine.
Editor-in-chief Sergei Sokolov said in a YouTube statement that the Russian authorities and special services "have forced the editorial team to end its work," according to the Straits Times. Al Jazeera reports that staff accuse the government of "killing off" the newspaper after murders, arrests and pressure.
The paper has faced sustained pressure since 2022. According to the Straits Times, its media licence was revoked, its journalists and editors were questioned and detained, and their homes were searched. It was also branded a "foreign agent."
Former editor-in-chief Dmitry Muratov told AFP that the closure was "part of a giant military campaign being waged by the Russian Federation," according to the Straits Times. UN human rights chief Volker Turk called the closure "yet another devastating blow for remaining independent media in the Russian Federation."
Several Novaya Gazeta reporters have been murdered in killings widely seen as retribution for their work. The best-known case is Anna Politkovskaya, who was found dead in her Moscow apartment block in October 2006. Muratov, who shared the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize, stepped down as editor-in-chief after being declared a "foreign agent." The paper was founded in 1993, and Mikhail Gorbachev donated Nobel money to help set it up.
The paper had cut production inside Russia after the war began, but its online version remained available despite court orders.
The paper says its final issue will be published, but no date has been given. The sources do not say whether the online version will stay up. The Kremlin and Russian authorities have not responded to the closure announcement in the reporting available.
Calls for Russia to end its repression of independent media have come from the UN, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Amnesty International and the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
The key facts rely mainly on one full article, from the Straits Times and based on AFP reporting. Al Jazeera’s account is available only as a headline and excerpt, and SCMP’s piece adds no further facts. Independent confirmation of the closure beyond the paper’s own announcement is not yet available.
Sources
This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.