Russia Orders Closure of Novaya Gazeta, Ending 33 Years of Independent Press

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the closure of Novaya Gazeta, the country's last major independent newspaper, after 33 years of operation. Moscow designated the publication, renowned for its critical coverage of the Russian political and social establishment, as a foreign agent and placed it on the state's registry of hostile entities.

Editor-in-chief Sergei Sokolov announced the shutdown in a video statement on YouTube, declaring that the newspaper has been forced to cease operations by Russian authorities and security services. Sokolov stated that the publication was effectively killed, noting that servers are being shut down and staff are being evicted with barely any time to pack. The Anna Politkovskaya Museum inside the offices is being closed, and portraits of murdered journalists are being removed from the walls.

Sokolov was previously detained for questioning earlier this month following a police search at his residence. The entire editorial staff has faced interrogation, with one journalist arrested and another senior editor's home raided by law enforcement.

Founded in 1993, the newspaper suspended its print edition in 2022 following the invasion of Ukraine. An independent European edition was subsequently launched from Latvia to bypass domestic censorship, though its website was later blocked in Russia and its media license revoked.

Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former editor Dmitry Muratov learned of the eviction while traveling to Paris for a ceremony marking the anniversary of Politkovskaya's assassination. Muratov and Sokolov gathered the remaining staff in a nearby basement after overnight raids compromised their offices, collectively deciding to formally close the publication. Muratov stated that the constitution's prohibition of censorship has become meaningless, emphasizing that while the physical newsroom has been destroyed, the journalistic mission continues.