Novaya Gazeta announces closure, blaming pressure from Russian authorities

Novaya Gazeta, a longstanding independent newspaper in Russia, has announced that it is closing, saying pressure from the authorities has forced its editorial team to stop working. The announcement follows a search of its senior editor’s home this month and the detention of one of its journalists earlier this year.

Editor-in-chief Sergei Sokolov disclosed the decision in a video posted to YouTube on Friday, 30 October. He blamed the Russian authorities and special services for bringing the newspaper’s work to an end. “Novaya Gazeta is ceasing to exist,” he said, describing the closure as something imposed on the editorial team.

Sokolov said the team would leave its premises on 9 November, ending 30 years in the building. As part of the shutdown, the newspaper will switch off its servers. His statement set out a departure date for a publication that has been a prominent part of Russia’s independent journalism.

Earlier in October, authorities took Sokolov in for questioning and searched his home in connection with a criminal case against his colleague Oleg Roldugin. Roldugin was arrested in April and charged with unlawful access to computerised information. No details were provided about the alleged offence.

According to the state news agency RIA, Roldugin pleaded not guilty to the charge. He remains under house arrest while awaiting trial. Novaya Gazeta said the period of house arrest had been extended until 10 November, a day after the newspaper plans to shut down its servers and leave its offices.

The closure comes amid a broader crackdown on independent reporting in Russia since the country began its offensive in Ukraine in February 2022. Censorship has reached levels approaching those of the Soviet era, and the vast majority of independent journalists have been pushed into exile.

Novaya Gazeta reduced its production within Russia after the offensive began, and the authorities revoked its media licence later in 2022. Moscow also classifies the newspaper as a “foreign agent”, a designation used to suppress dissent.

The newspaper’s announcement comes five years after its then editor-in-chief, Dmitry Muratov, jointly received the Nobel peace prize in 2021. The award recognised his efforts to protect freedom of expression through his leadership of Novaya Gazeta.