Novaya Gazeta: Moscow Newsroom Closes After State Pressure

Novaya Gazeta shut down its Moscow newsroom on Monday, marking the end of the physical presence for Russia’s most prominent independent investigative newspaper. The publication stated it could no longer continue its reporting under a sustained campaign of state pressure. This closure follows years of escalating obstacles linked to the paper’s critical coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The outlet, co-founded by Mikhail Gorbachev, was designated a foreign agent by Russian authorities, a Soviet-era label revived under President Vladimir Putin. This designation required the paper to vacate its Moscow offices. Additionally, Russian banks were barred from processing donations from readers and supporters, cutting off vital income after the paper moved entirely to online publishing following new wartime censorship rules in Moscow.

Founding editor Dmitry Muratov, the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, addressed journalists gathered in the office to witness the closure. He issued an appeal for free speech in wartime Russia, stating that those advocating for peace have been denied the right to read what they choose. Muratov argued that the section of the Russian constitution guaranteeing political and civil rights has ceased to function. He also demanded the release of approximately 4,000 people he described as political prisoners and urged a ceasefire in Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov sought to downplay the event, describing it as part of a rotational process in a fiercely competitive media landscape. However, editor-in-chief Sergei Sokolov took down photographs of Anna Politkovskaya and other reporters believed to have been killed in retribution for their work. When he first announced the closure last month, Sokolov said the outlet had been killed, accusing Russian authorities and special services of forcing the editorial team to end its work.

Founded in 1993, Novaya Gazeta became a flagship of post-Soviet democratic Russia, championing the glasnost era. Gorbachev used part of his 1990 Nobel Peace Prize money to launch the publication. Its fearless reporting put it in the crosshairs of Russia’s wealthy and powerful, resulting in the murder of six journalists. Anna Politkovskaya, who investigated alleged abuses by Russia’s military in Chechnya, was found dead in her apartment block in 2006 on Putin’s birthday.

The leadership has not clarified whether the Moscow closure is definitive or if the outlet will regroup outside Russia. Irina Vorobyova, one of its journalists, stated the paper’s spirit would survive like a good virus and continue in everyone that was part of it. Muratov urged foreign observers to distinguish between the Russian authorities and the Russian people, adding that blame should not fall on citizens, especially the younger generation.