Responding to the announcement that Novaya Gazeta, one of Russia’s last independent newspapers, will cease operations on November 9, Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Deputy Director, said:
“The closure of Novaya Gazeta is a devastating loss for everyone in Russia who turns to independent, investigative journalism to uncover the truth. This long-respected newspaper has withstood years of mounting state pressure, including criminal prosecutions, raids and attacks on staff members. Its journalists have been killed for doing their jobs. Its website has been blocked, its official registration cancelled and just last month, it was designated a “foreign agent.”
“The final blow has come with an eviction notice demanding that the newsroom vacate its premises, in addition to being cut off from online donations. While these measures were carried out by private actors, the authorities’ role is not in question. Their decades-long predatory campaign has resulted in the near complete annihilation of free media in Russia, and now, of its most celebrated and distinguished champion.
“Russian authorities must immediately end their persecution of independent media, including Novaya Gazeta, and abolish laws stifling freedom of expression and imposing censorship. Journalists must be able to work without fear of harassment, prosecution or violence.”
Background
On October 30, Novaya Gazeta announced it would cease operations on November 9, closing its Moscow office where staff had worked for 29 years, after the landlords told the newsroom to vacate the premises. The editorial statement said the newspaper had been deprived of the means to operate, including access to its donation system, due to financial organizations’ unwillingness to provide services to it following the September 4, 2026 designation of the newspaper’s entire editorial team as “foreign agents.”
In the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the authorities blocked Novaya Gazeta’s online resources and stripped it of its media registration. On April 9, 2026, Investigative Committee officers searched its newsroom for 13 hours in connection with a criminal case involving alleged “unlawful access to computer information” and “illegal use of personal data.” Investigative journalist Oleg Roldugin was arrested in connection with the case and later placed under house arrest. On October 15, officers searched the home of editor-in-chief Sergei Sokolov.
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