Russia’s top independent newspaper shuts down

Russia’s most renowned independent newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, on Friday announced its closure after more than three decades of operation, blaming relentless official pressure.

“They have killed us,” it said in an editorial statement, announcing that it will shut its office on November 9 after publishing its final issue. “The Russian authorities and the Russian security services have forced our editorial team to cease operations.” There was no immediate comment from Russian authorities.

Novaya Gazeta was launched in 1993 with assistance from former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who used part of his 1990 Nobel Peace Prize to fund it. It was Russia’s last major independent media outlet critical of the Kremlin after others either shut or had their websites blocked after President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022. The paper has been the subject of a sweeping crackdown on dissent that has intensified after the start of the conflict in Ukraine. Authorities have methodically targeted people and organisations critical of the Kremlin, branding many “foreign agents” and declaring some “undesirable” under a law that made membership in “undesirable” organisations a criminal offense.