Novaya Gazeta announces closure after years of state pressure

Overview

Updated 1 hour ago

Novaya Gazeta, the last independent national newspaper in Russia, will stop publishing on November 9. Its editors announced the closure Friday in a farewell statement titled "They Killed Us."

The state stripped the paper of its print licence in 2022, blocked its website, and revoked its media registration. In September it branded the entire editorial staff "foreign agents." On October 29 the paper got an eviction notice and its reader-donation system was switched off.

Why it matters

Novaya Gazeta was the last independent national newspaper in Russia. Its closure leaves no domestic outlet to investigate corruption or criticise the Kremlin.

Questions about this story

Free account needed to ask — your question is kept and asked for you right after sign-up. Answers are public.

No questions yet — be the first to ask.

Key Indicators

Journalists and staff murdered

Killed over the paper's history, including Anna Politkovskaya.

100+

Staff and contributors listed as "foreign agents"

Designated by the state in September 2026.

2021

Nobel Peace Prize year

Shared by editor-in-chief Dmitry Muratov for defending press freedom.

2022

Year print edition halted

Media licence revoked after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

People Involved

Dmitry Muratov

Co-founder and former editor-in-chief

Listed as a "foreign agent"; lives largely abroad

Sergei Sokolov

Editor-in-chief

Questioned by authorities in October 2026

Oleg Roldugin

Executive editor

Under house arrest, awaiting trial

Anna Politkovskaya

Investigative journalist

Murdered in 2006

Organizations Involved

Novaya Gazeta

Independent newspaper

Closing November 9, 2026

Russia's last major independent newspaper, known for investigations into corruption and critical coverage of the Kremlin.

Novaya Gazeta Europe

Independent newspaper (in exile)

Operating from Latvia; unaffected by Moscow closure

Latvia-based offshoot launched by former Novaya Gazeta staff after the 2022 invasion.

Timeline

1993 October 2026

12 events Latest: Today Showing 8 of 12

Tap a bar to jump to that date

October 2026
Novaya Gazeta announces closure
Today Statement

Farewell statement titled "They Killed Us" says operations end November 9.
Today
Eviction order, donation system disabled
Legal

Paper told to vacate Moscow offices; reader-donation channel switched off.
Yesterday
Editor-in-chief questioned
Legal

Sergei Sokolov taken in for questioning; his home searched.
October 15th, 2026
September 2026
Paper branded 'foreign agent'
Legal

State designates the whole editorial board; lists 100-plus staff and contributors.
September 2026
April 2026
Newsroom raided, editor arrested
Legal

Police search offices for 13 hours; Oleg Roldugin arrested on data-access charges.
April 2026
July 2023
Staff writer beaten in Chechnya
Violence

Observer Elena Milashina kidnapped and beaten nearly to death.
July 2023
2023
Muratov attacked
Violence

Attacker throws paint and acetone in his face, nearly blinding him.
2023
March 2022
Print edition halted, licence revoked
Legal

Paper stops printing inside Russia as censorship laws take hold after the invasion.
March 2022
2022
Website blocked in Russia
Censorship

Authorities block access to Novaya Gazeta's online platforms.
2022
October 2021
Muratov wins Nobel Peace Prize
Recognition

Editor-in-chief Dmitry Muratov shares the prize for defending press freedom.
October 8th, 2021
October 2006
Anna Politkovskaya murdered
Violence

Investigative journalist shot dead in her Moscow apartment building.
October 7th, 2006
1993
Novaya Gazeta founded
Founding

Launched with backing from Mikhail Gorbachev, embodying his glasnost vision.
1993

#timeline [x-show="expanded"] { display: revert !important; opacity: 1 !important; } #timeline .timeline-toggle-btn { display: none; }

Scenarios

Roldugin convicted and imprisoned

Likely Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: Reuters, Reporters Without Borders

Executive editor Oleg Roldugin faces trial on charges of unlawful access to computerised information, carrying up to 10 years. He is under house arrest, and his detention has been extended to November. A conviction would make him the first Novaya Gazeta editor jailed since the 2022 invasion and would cement the state's victory over the paper.

Novaya Gazeta Europe carries on the paper's journalism

Possible Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: NBC News, the paper's own farewell statement

Former staff launched Novaya Gazeta Europe from Latvia in 2022. It continues print and online operations and was not covered by Friday's closure. Its survival determines whether the paper's investigative reporting outlives the Moscow operation. The main risks are funding and the strain of operating from exile.

More Novaya Gazeta journalists prosecuted

Possible Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: Human Rights Watch, Reporters Without Borders

The state has listed 100-plus staff as "foreign agents" and prosecuted Roldugin. The open question is whether editor-in-chief Sergei Sokolov or other editors face similar criminal charges now that the paper is closed. Additional cases would show the campaign extends beyond shutting the newspaper to punishing individual journalists.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

March 2022

Echo of Moscow closure (2022)

Russia's last independent radio station, Echo of Moscow, voted to liquidate in March 2022 after the state media regulator moved to block it over its coverage of the Ukraine invasion. Its editor-in-chief had criticised the war on air.

Then

The station's channels went dark within days.

Now

It became one of the first casualties of the post-invasion media crackdown.

Why this matters now

Showed the pattern Novaya Gazeta's closure completes: independent outlets lose their licence, their platform, then their existence.

March 2022

TV Rain (Dozhd) forced into exile (2022)

Russia's last independent television channel, TV Rain, suspended operations in March 2022 after its bank froze accounts and authorities opened cases against staff. The team fled abroad and relaunched from Latvia.

Then

The channel moved its operations outside Russia.

Now

Exile became the only viable path for independent Russian media.

Why this matters now

TV Rain's exile relaunch is the model Novaya Gazeta Europe follows.