Russia’s top independent newspaper closes its office after three decades, citing official pressure

Russia's prominent independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta has shut its Moscow offices following sustained government pressure. Known for exposing corruption and human rights abuses, the publication faced censorship, fines and restrictions amid the Kremlin's crackdown on independent media

Moscow: Novaya Gazeta, Russia’s most celebrated independent newspaper, closed its Moscow offices Monday, citing relentless pressure from government officials.

It was the last major independent media outlet critical of the Kremlin that remained active in Russia. Others closed or moved their operations abroad after President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022.

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In a statement published Oct. 30, the newspaper said the Russian authorities and the security services had “forced our editorial team to cease operations.” “Human rights and freedoms have been abolished in this country, and defending them is now treated as a crime,” the newspaper said.

“Elections and elected governing bodies have been effectively dismantled, civil society institutions have been wiped out, freedom of conscience and human dignity have been trampled underfoot.”

Launched in 1993, Novaya Gazeta quickly became known for its fierce reporting and dedication to uncovering Russian human rights abuses and corruption. Six of its journalists have been killed, including Anna Politkovskaya, who reported on atrocities during the second Chechen War at the start of Putin’s first term as president. She was fatally shot in her apartment building in 2006.

On the newspaper’s final day in its office Monday, journalists slowly removed the portraits of their slain colleagues from the newsroom where reporters and editors planned their work.

Tatiana Britskaya, the editor of Novaya Gazeta’s investigations desk, said she had expected the outlet’s closure almost every day for the past 4 1/2 years. “It is an incredibly difficult decision, because this is more than a workplace, more than an office — this is our home, and we’re losing it,” she said.

Novaya Gazeta had faced growing government pressure as the Kremlin cracked down on critics, with repression sharply intensifying after the start of the conflict in Ukraine.

Longtime editor-in-chief Dmitry Muratov, who shared the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize with Philippine journalist Maria Ressa, was attacked on a train in 2022 by an assailant who poured red paint over him, causing severe irritation in his eyes. Muratov stepped down as editor in 2023 after being named a “foreign agent” by Russian authorities. The designation carries strong pejorative connotations in the country and can bring additional government scrutiny.

The newspaper was fined after it was accused of discrediting Russia’s armed forces, and it was also declared a foreign agent. Authorities blocked all of its online platforms, seized its printing house, revoked its media registration and shut down the donation system that allowed it to receive support from readers.

In a final blow, the newspaper was ordered to clear out its Moscow offices.

As reporters left the building and gathered in the street, a new sign was affixed atop the nameplate that once announced the newspaper’s office. It read, “Here lived Novaya Gazeta.” Sergei Sokolov, Novaya Gazeta’s editor-in-chief, said he believed the newspaper would return one day “with renewed strength.” “We will live, and I am sure that this country, caught in such a terrible era, will eventually stir. As soon as those first signs appear, Novaya Gazeta will return, to our readers and to our colleagues.”

Some of Novaya Gazeta’s staff left Russia in 2022 and opened a separate project, Novaya Gazeta Europe. The new outlet has been sharply critical of the Kremlin and its military action in Ukraine.  AP