Independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta closes permanently

On November 9, 2026, the historic Russian independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta ceased operations, with staff vacating their Moscow offices following a final editorial meeting. Founded in 1993 with funds from Mikhail Gorbachev's Nobel Peace Prize, the publication had long served as a rare voice critical of Russian authorities and the war in Ukraine. The newspaper announced its closure last month, citing an impossible operational environment caused by state-led pressure and censorship.

The newspaper's collapse was precipitated by its designation as a "foreign agent," which led to the freezing of reader donations that served as its primary financial lifeline. Authorities have intensified their crackdown on the outlet, conducting searches of the newspaper's offices and the editor-in-chief's home. Currently, senior editor Sergey Sokolov has been documented removing office archives, while other staff members have faced interrogations and arrests. One unnamed senior journalist remains under house arrest awaiting trial. The closure marks the end of one of Russia's final bastions of investigative journalism, as the outlet failed to sustain its operations against systematic legal and financial restrictions.