Novaia Gazeta, Russia’s most important independent investigative newspaper, is ceasing operations due to pressure from the Kremlin

The Russian investigative newspaper Novaya Gazeta ended its operations on Monday and began evacuating its headquarters in Moscow, after pressure from the authorities made it impossible to continue its journalistic work. The decision comes after the publication was designated a “foreign agent,” readers’ donations were blocked, and measures against its journalists intensified.

The publication, founded by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev with money he received for the 1990 Nobel Peace Prize, continued to appear after the launch of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, despite the tightening of censorship.

Novaya Gazeta announced last month that it could no longer operate after banks stopped processing donations from readers. The newspaper’s offices and the home of one of the editorial leaders were searched, while a senior journalist is under house arrest.

Former editor-in-chief Dmitry Muratov, the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, said that the editorial team could no longer protect its journalists. The Kremlin maintains that certain forms of censorship are necessary, while spokesperson Dmitry Peskov played down the closure, describing it as part of a “rotation” in the Russian media. The publication’s journalists say that the spirit of Novaya Gazeta will survive through those who were part of the editorial team.

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