Novaya Gazeta says Russian pressure forces it to close

Novaya Gazeta, one of Russia’s best-known independent newspapers, says it is shutting down after an eviction order and the loss of a system that allowed readers to fund its work. The paper accused Russian authorities and security services of forcing its closure.

“They’ve killed us,” the newspaper said in a statement on its website. “The newspaper is no more. The Russian authorities and Russian special services have forced the paper to stop its work.”

Editor-in-chief Sergei Sokolov said in a video statement that the paper would shut down its servers and leave its offices on November 9. “We will turn off the lights in our home, where we have lived for 30 years,” he said.

The BBC reported that Novaya Gazeta received an eviction order at the same time its reader-donation system was disabled, leaving it without a way to fund publication. The newspaper had continued to operate in reduced form despite losing its media licence and having access to its website blocked in Russia. Readers used virtual private networks to reach its reporting, according to the BBC.

In its closure statement, the paper called the steps against it a “coordinated act” by what it described as “the repressive state apparatus.” It said: “Human rights and freedoms have been eliminated in the country and their protection has been equated to a crime.”

Founded in the 1990s, Novaya Gazeta built a reputation for investigations into corruption, human rights violations and abuses of power. The newspaper says six journalists connected with it were killed for “fulfilling their professional and civic duty.” They include Anna Politkovskaya, who reported on the wars in Chechnya and was shot dead in the stairwell of her apartment building 20 years ago this month.

The closure follows mounting pressure on the paper and its staff. The BBC reported that several journalists and contributors were designated “foreign agents” by Russian authorities. Al Jazeera reported that the publication itself had received the designation. Authorities also searched its editorial office earlier this year.

Veteran investigative journalist Oleg Roldugin was arrested in April and charged with “unlawful access to computerised information.” Sokolov was later taken in for police questioning, and his home was searched in connection with the case, according to the BBC. Al Jazeera reported that he was arrested on October 15.

Reporters Without Borders asked after the action against Sokolov: “How far will the Kremlin’s relentless campaign against Novaya Gazeta go?”

Pressure on independent Russian journalism has intensified since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. New laws adopted after the invasion punish dissent and criticism of the war and those in power.

Dmitry Muratov, a founder and longtime editor of Novaya Gazeta, received the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to safeguard freedom of expression. Russian authorities designated him a “foreign agent” in 2023.