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Independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta shuts down under state pressure
NBC News • • world
Key Points:
- Novaya Gazeta, a prominent Russian independent newspaper founded in 1993, announced it is ceasing operations due to intense state pressure, including prosecution of senior editors, loss of financial support, and eviction from its Moscow office.
- The paper halted its print edition in Russia in 2022 but continued online until censorship laws and government actions, such as blocking its website and revoking its print license, made further operation impossible.
- The Kremlin has justified censorship as necessary during Russia's conflict with the West over Ukraine, while labeling Novaya Gazeta a "foreign agent" and accusing it of promoting an anti-Russian narrative.
- The newspaper's co-founder Dmitry Muratov, a 2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, dedicated the award to journalists killed for their investigative work, highlighting the risks faced by independent media in Russia.
- Despite shutting down in Russia, former Novaya Gazeta journalists continue publishing through Novaya Gazeta Europe, a Latvian-based outlet banned by Moscow but still operating abroad.
