What changed
Novaya Gazeta closed its Moscow office Monday after three decades, saying Russian authorities and security services had forced its editorial team to stop operating. The closure follows blocked online platforms, the seizure of its printing house, revoked media registration, a shutdown of reader donations, a fine over alleged discrediting of Russia’s armed forces and the newspaper’s designation as a “foreign agent.”
Why it matters
This was the last major independent media outlet critical of the Kremlin still operating inside Russia. Its departure removes not only a newsroom, but a physical place where reporters investigated corruption and human rights abuses despite years of pressure.
The loss carries a grim human history. Six Novaya Gazeta journalists were killed, including Anna Politkovskaya, who was fatally shot in 2006 after reporting on atrocities during the second Chechen War. On the office’s final day, staff took down portraits of their slain colleagues before leaving the building.
The closure also shows how pressure can dismantle journalism piece by piece. Legal designations, fines and blocked platforms came first. Then went the printing operation, registration and donations. The office itself was the final room to empty.
Some staff members opened Novaya Gazeta Europe abroad in 2022. But whether the Moscow operation can return, or how its journalists will continue working inside Russia, remains uncertain. Editor-in-chief Sergei Sokolov said the newspaper would come back “with renewed strength,” leaving its future tied to whether the political space around it ever opens again.
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