OVERLOOKED

Europe·Russia

"They chose to strangle us": Russia's Novaya Gazeta shuts down after 30 years

Explainer image: a stack of newspapers
Explainer image A stack of newspapers. This is context for the story, not a photo of the events reported. Photo: Daniel R. Blume from Orange County, California, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Depth

Dig five layers into this story — from what happened to the full picture.

L1What happened

The paper's closing statement: "They've killed us. The newspaper is no more." It blames "a coordinated act" by "the repressive state apparatus."

L2Who’s affected

Its staff and readers who used VPNs to get around blocks. Muratov: "The banks are refusing to accept donations from our readers."

L3Why it’s quiet

Analysis · OVERLOOKED Russia's domestic crackdown gets little U.S. airtime next to the battlefield and peace talks.

L4Deeper impact

Earlier this year police searched the office; journalist Oleg Roldugin was arrested and charged with "unlawful access to computerised information," and editor Sergei Sokolov was questioned and his home searched. Muratov: "Different dictatorships in the world seek chaos."

L5Full context

Muratov won the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize and was labeled a "foreign agent" in 2023. The paper lost its licence after new wartime laws following the 2022 invasion. Politkovskaya's office, preserved as a museum, has been emptied except for her desk and portrait.

You’ve reached the bottom. Read the original reporting below.

Original reporting

  1. BBC News (Steven Rosenberg, Moscow)Prominent Russian newspaper shuts down under pressure from authoritiesOct 30, 2026 ↗

Press freedomHuman rightsPolitics

This is an OVERLOOKED summary of the reporting above. Facts and figures come from the linked sources. Everything here is a fact unless it is labelled otherwise. Support this work.

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