Novaya Gazeta holds its final editorial meeting. Independent newspaper ceases operations in Russia

Russian independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta has ceased operations in Russia and vacated its offices in central Moscow on Monday, 9 November, after nearly 30 years at the location. The decision follows an announcement by the editorial team in late October that it could no longer continue operating due to pressure from the Russian authorities, including financial restrictions and the loss of its premises. Founded in 1993, the newspaper was known for its investigations into corruption, human rights violations and abuses of power.

According to Reuters, Novaya Gazeta journalists left their Moscow newsroom on Monday following a final editorial meeting. The event was also attended by Dmitry Muratov, the newspaper’s co-founder, former editor-in-chief and 2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

The newspaper’s editor-in-chief, Sergei Sokolov, said that the closure of the office did not necessarily mean the definitive end of Novaya Gazeta. In a statement reported by Novaya Gazeta Europe, he stressed that the publication represented more than just a newspaper or a website and expressed hope that the editorial team would be able to resume its work when conditions in Russia allowed.

Before leaving the building, staff members took down portraits of six journalists and contributors to the newspaper who had been killed over the years, including Anna Politkovskaya, known for her investigations into human rights violations in Chechnya.

PRESSURE ON THE EDITORIAL TEAM

On 30 October, Novaya Gazeta published an official statement announcing the cessation of its operations, accusing the Russian authorities and security services of making it impossible to continue its journalistic work.

According to the editorial team, the newspaper had faced fines, the blocking of its online platforms, the revocation of its media registration, the confiscation of its printing facilities and designation as a “foreign agent” in recent years. The authorities also ordered the newspaper to vacate its premises, while the system through which it received donations from readers was blocked.

Following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine in February 2022, Novaya Gazeta suspended its print edition amid tighter legislation governing reporting on the Russian military. However, the editorial team continued its journalistic activities in other formats.

Founded in 1993 with the support of former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who contributed financially, including from the money he received with the Nobel Peace Prize, Novaya Gazeta became one of Russia’s best-known independent newspapers. Throughout its existence, the editorial team investigated cases of corruption, abuses of power and human rights violations.

REACTIONS FROM THE RUSSIAN AUTHORITIES AND THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov rejected the idea that Novaya Gazeta’s closure marked the end of independent journalism in Russia. According to Novaya Gazeta Europe, the official maintained that Russia’s media market was diverse and competitive, and that the disappearance of some media outlets and the emergence of others was a normal process.

On the same day, the United Kingdom and Finland, as co-chairs of the Media Freedom Coalition, issued a joint statement condemning the pressure on independent journalism in Russia.

The two countries highlighted the risks faced by independent journalists, including arrests, intimidation and detention, and called on the Russian authorities to allow media representatives to carry out their work freely and safely.

The closure of Novaya Gazeta’s Moscow newsroom comes at a time when numerous independent Russian media outlets have been forced to suspend their operations in the country or continue working from exile, amid restrictions imposed on the press following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.