Novaya Gazeta Closes, Citing Pressure From Russian Authorities
WHO:
CNN - Editor-in-chief Sergei Sokolov said, “Novaya Gazeta has been killed,” and said Russian security services had forced the editorial team to stop operating.
CNN - Six of the paper’s journalists were murdered during its three and a half decades of operation, including Anna Politkovskaya, who reported on human-rights abuses in Chechnya.
ABC News World - Novaya Gazeta, described as a renowned independent newspaper in Russia, announced its closure.
BBC News - Novaya Gazeta was one of Russia’s most high-profile independent news outlets.
IJR - Novaya Gazeta’s editor attributed the closure to pressure from authorities and security services.
WHAT:
CNN - Novaya Gazeta said, “we cannot continue working under the name ‘Novaya Gazeta’” and that after publishing one final issue, it would pause and consider a new direction.
CNN - Co-founder Dmitry Muratov received the Nobel Peace Prize in October 2021 alongside Maria Ressa for their “efforts to safeguard freedom of expression.”
CNN - The newspaper said its donations platform had been shut down, leaving it without resources, and that it would publish one final issue before pausing and considering a new direction.
CNN - Russian authorities revoked the newspaper’s license and blocked its website inside Russia.
CNN - Investigative journalist Oleg Roldugin was arrested on a charge of “unlawful access to computerized information”; Sokolov was detained for questioning and his home was searched in connection with the case.
ABC News World - Novaya Gazeta announced it was closing.
IJR - Novaya Gazeta said it was shutting down after 30 years.
WHERE:
CNN - Novaya Gazeta was founded partially under the patronage of former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
CNN - The newspaper said Muratov’s attackers were let go after the train attack.
CNN - Novaya Gazeta Europe, an offshoot publication, is based in Riga, Latvia.
CNN - Politkovskaya was murdered outside her Moscow apartment.
ABC News World - Novaya Gazeta is a Russian newspaper.
BBC News - Novaya Gazeta is a news outlet in Russia.
WHEN:
CNN - The newspaper said it would turn off its lights and shut down its servers on November 9.
ABC News World - The newspaper had operated for over three decades before announcing its closure.
BBC News - The newspaper had been among Russia’s most high-profile independent outlets over the last three decades.
IJR - The newspaper said it was shutting down after 30 years.
WHY:
CNN - Novaya Gazeta said it was evicted from its home and stripped of all resources after its donations platform was shut down.
CNN - The newspaper initially suspended its Russian print and online editions after Roskomnadzor issued a warning following its interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in which Muratov participated.
CNN - The newspaper initially suspended its online and print editions in Russia after receiving a warning from Roskomnadzor following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
CNN - Russian lawmakers criminalized spreading “fake” news discrediting the military in March 2022, prompting journalists, including Novaya Gazeta staff, to flee into exile.
ABC News World - The newspaper cited relentless official pressure.
IJR - The editor blamed pressure from Russian authorities and security services.
HOW:
CNN - Russian authorities designated Muratov and the newspaper as “foreign agents,” a label carrying financial penalties and reporting requirements.
CNN - In April 2022, Muratov was attacked on a train traveling from Moscow to Samara with red paint laced with acetone; the newspaper said he nearly lost his sight.
IJR - The closure further narrows the space for independent reporting amid the Kremlin’s crackdown on dissenting media.
(UPDATED October 30, 2026 19:06 UTC)
Novaya Gazeta, one of Russia’s best-known independent newspapers, is closing under government pressure. Authorities revoked its license, blocked its website, and shut down its donations platform. After one final issue, the paper will pause; its servers go dark November 9.
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(UPDATED October 30, 2026 16:03 UTC)
Novaya Gazeta, one of Russia’s leading independent newspapers, is closing under pressure from authorities. Its editor says security services forced the newsroom to stop, after authorities revoked its license and blocked its website. The paper plans one final issue before shutting down its servers on November 9.
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(UPDATED October 30, 2026 15:07 UTC)
Russia’s prominent independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta has announced it is closing after decades of reporting. Its editor blamed relentless pressure from authorities and security services for the shutdown. The closure further narrows space for independent journalism amid a crackdown on dissenting media.