Russian investigative newspaper Novaya Gazeta announced its permanent closure on October 30, 2026, citing sustained pressure from Russian authorities and state security services. The newspaper held its final editorial meeting on November 9, 2026, and ceased operations that day after more than three decades of independent reporting.
Editor-in-Chief Sergei Sokolov announced the closure in a statement released on YouTube, saying: "The newspaper is gone. The Russian authorities and Russian intelligence services forced the editorial staff to end its operations." He characterized the closure as part of a broader pattern in which "a country and a society are being systematically crushed."
Novaya Gazeta, founded in 1993 with initial funding from Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev's 1990 Nobel Peace Prize, had long served as a prominent outlet for independent journalism and criticism of the Kremlin. The newspaper gained international recognition when its former editor-in-chief Dmitry Muratov won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021.
The newspaper's closure followed a series of escalating government actions. Russian authorities designated Novaya Gazeta a "foreign agent" in recent weeks, a classification used to restrict media operations and stifle dissent. Banks subsequently stopped processing reader donations, which formed the financial foundation of the outlet's operations. Authorities searched the homes of senior editors and arrested the editor-in-chief. Another senior journalist remained under house arrest awaiting trial.
The newspaper announced in late October that it would be forced to shut down, citing the impossibility of continuing operations under the mounting pressure. An eviction order forced the publication to vacate its historic Moscow newsroom. The organization's donation system was disabled, cutting off its primary revenue source.
Novaya Gazeta had maintained operations despite Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent tightening of state censorship over Russian media. The outlet was known for investigative reporting on corruption and critical coverage of government policies, particularly regarding the Ukraine conflict.
Reporters Without Borders, the international press freedom organization, called on Russia to "end the legal intimidation" of Novaya Gazeta journalists. The closure represents a significant loss for independent journalism in Russia, where state control over media has intensified substantially since the Ukraine invasion.