Novaya Gazeta announces closure, blaming pressure from Russian authorities

Novaya Gazeta announced on October 30, 2026, that it was closing in Russia, with editor-in-chief Sergei Sokolov saying pressure from Russian authorities and special services had forced its editorial team to stop working.¹³⁵

An end to reduced operations

The newspaper said in its own statement that it would shut down its servers and leave its premises on November 9. Its announcement ends more than three decades of publication, according to the Associated Press, which reported that the paper attributed its decision to sustained official pressure.⁶⁴

Novaya Gazeta had continued working in a reduced form despite restrictions, the BBC reported. Authorities had revoked its media licence and blocked its website. The BBC also reported that staff had begun packing at the newspaper’s offices as the closure was announced.²

In its statement, the newspaper said it had been evicted and its donations platform closed. It also said its printing press had been seized and publication banned. “This is a coordinated campaign,” Novaya Gazeta said, attributing the loss of its resources to Russian authorities.⁶

Cases against journalists

The closure follows proceedings against Oleg Roldugin, who was charged with unlawful access to computerised information. He is awaiting trial under house arrest, extended until November 10. The Guardian reported that he pleaded not guilty and that no details of the charge had been provided.¹³

The BBC reported that Sokolov had been taken for police questioning and that his home had been searched. Police also searched the newspaper’s editorial office, according to the broadcaster. Reporters Without Borders called on Moscow to stop judicial harassment of Novaya Gazeta journalists, AFP reported.²³

Restrictions and a record of violence

Moscow has designated Novaya Gazeta a foreign agent. Dmitry Muratov, who established Novaya Gazeta and previously led its newsroom, was a co-recipient of the 2021 Nobel peace prize. Russian authorities designated him a foreign agent in 2023, the BBC reported; AFP said he subsequently had to formally step down.¹²³

AFP reported that several of the newspaper’s journalists and contributors had been murdered in killings widely regarded as retaliation for their reporting. Among them was Anna Politkovskaya, who was found dead in her apartment building in October 2006, according to the agency.³

According to the BBC, independent journalism has faced mounting pressure following the start of Russia’s all-out war against Ukraine, with legislation used to penalise dissent and suppress criticism of both the conflict and the authorities. In its closure statement, Novaya Gazeta accused the state of dismantling legal protections: “The courts have been destroyed along with the law.”²