Novaya Gazeta says it will shut down under Kremlin pressure

Russian independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta has announced that it is ceasing operations, saying pressure from the authorities and security services has forced its editorial team to end its work. Editor-in-Chief Sergei Sokolov said in a statement published on YouTube that the paper will shut down its servers and leave its offices on November 9. The announcement marks the end of one of the country's best-known independent newsrooms.

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Sokolov said the newspaper was being forced to close after recent official action against staff. He said authorities had searched his home earlier this month and that he had been taken in for questioning. The move followed the detention earlier this year of journalist Oleg Roldugin, who was arrested in April in a criminal case.

According to the report, Roldugin was charged with unlawful access to computerised information and pleaded not guilty. He remains under house arrest, which has been extended until November 10. Novaya Gazeta said the case formed part of the pressure that led to the shutdown.

The paper also said it had already reduced production inside Russia after the full-scale offensive on Ukraine began in February 2022. The closure is significant because Novaya Gazeta has long been regarded as a major independent voice in Russian media. The newspaper has been labelled a foreign agent by the authorities, a designation widely used in Russia against critics and organisations seen as disloyal.

Its shutdown comes amid a broader tightening of media controls that has pushed many independent journalists into exile. The paper's history also gives the announcement added weight. Its former editor-in-chief, Dmitry Muratov, shared the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for efforts to protect freedom of expression while leading the publication.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Russian authorities have intensified restrictions on reporting and dissent, and Novaya Gazeta said it had already been forced to scale back its work inside the country. The latest announcement suggests that the pressure has now reached a point where the newsroom can no longer continue. It remains unclear whether any part of the publication will continue in another form or from outside Russia.

The immediate next step is the planned shutdown of servers and offices on November 9, while Roldugin's case continues through the courts. The development is likely to be watched closely by press-freedom groups and by other independent media outlets operating under similar pressure.

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