Russia's Novaya Gazeta shuts down after 33 years under state pressure

Novaya Gazeta has closed after 33 years of operation, ending its work as one of Russia's best-known independent media outlets. The publication continued operating inside Russia after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.

In late October, journalists were evicted from their office on Potapovsky Lane in central Moscow, where they had worked for 29 years. The newsroom said it was closing under pressure from the authorities and the security services.

“For now, I want to stress, the newspaper no longer exists. But the journalists are still here. Novaya Gazeta still exists as an idea.”

On November 9, the newsroom held its final editorial meeting before staff left the former office to applause. Editor-in-chief Sergey Sokolov led the meeting, which included staff, Nobel laureate Dmitry Muratov, and journalists from other outlets.

After the meeting, portraits of six staff members killed over the years were taken down from the newsroom walls. They included journalists Igor Domnikov, Yuri Shchekochikhin, Anna Politkovskaya, and Natalya Estemirova, along with freelance contributor Anastasia Baburova and lawyer Stas Markelov.

Sokolov said the newspaper no longer exists, but the journalists remain and Novaya Gazeta still exists as an idea. He said the publication's Telegram channel would continue to run until midnight.

The Kremlin called the closure a normal process of turnover, saying some media outlets cease to exist while new ones take their place.