The Russian independent newspaper 'Novaya Gazeta', considered a symbol of critical journalism in the country for more than thirty years, announced this Friday that it will cease all activity on November 9. The decision comes after years of pressure and measures against its staff by the Russian authorities, who in early September included it on the list of "foreign agents".
"They have killed us," begins the farewell message released by the newsroom, which bluntly attributes the closure to the actions of the Government and the Russian intelligence services. "On November 9 we will turn off the lights in our house, where we have lived for 30 years, we will disconnect the servers and leave. The newspaper has disappeared. The Russian authorities and intelligence services have forced the editorial team to cease its operations," the statement says.
The newspaper's management maintains that the end of the project is the result of a chain of actions aimed at making its survival impossible: withdrawal of licenses to publish, blocking of its digital channels, seizure of the printing press, opening of administrative proceedings against its managers, and suppression of its sources of funding.
As the team explains, at the same time they received the order to leave their headquarters, the system through which readers made financial contributions was also deactivated: "They have deprived us of any funds. Completely," the journalists lament.
The newspaper describes this set of measures as a "coordinated operation" and rejects the idea that the financial entities acted on their own. "These are external rules, established by the repressive state apparatus, by FSB (Federal Security Service) officials who have infiltrated all organizations," the text continues, accusing these officials of behaving as if they "considered the country their property."
'Novaya Gazeta' recalls the progressive deterioration of the environment for practicing journalism since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in February 2022, and denounces the legal tightening that has made it possible to restore censorship and restrict news coverage of everything related to the war.
"We have been deprived of the opportunity to report on the most important and tragic events of our time," the text notes, adding that the restrictions ended up affecting practically all areas of public life.
Added to this is the cancellation of its registration as a media outlet, which makes it impossible to continue operating legally, and the direct persecution of its professionals. The newsroom emphasizes that several journalists have been forced to leave Russia and that numerous employees and collaborators have been included in the register of "foreign agents".
Last September, this classification was extended to the entire editorial staff and to more than a hundred reporters and authors linked to the newspaper.
The case of 'Novaya Gazeta' is part of a long history of threats and reprisals against its staff. Founded in 1993, the newspaper recalls in its farewell that it has lost six professionals murdered for political reasons or for their journalistic work.
The newspaper —whose editor-in-chief, Dmitri Muratov, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021 together with the Filipino journalist Maria Ressa for their defense of freedom of expression— had already suspended its publications in March 2022, after warnings from the authorities for not appearing in the register of foreign agents.
Later, part of the newsroom launched a new project in Europe. In 2023, the authorities declared the activities of 'Novaya Gazeta Europa' "undesirable" in Russia and, that same year, also added Muratov to the list of foreign agents, which led Sergei Sokolov to take over the direction of the newspaper.
Reaction of the press associations
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) have denounced the closure of the newsroom in Moscow, which they describe as "a deeply sad day for Russia and independent journalism".
The IFJ maintains that what happened "represents one of the most shameful attacks against one of Russia's most respected independent media outlets" and highlights its work over these years, in which, despite threats, assaults, and the murder of colleagues, they "have courageously demanded accountability from those who hold power".
In the same vein, the FEP underlines that the professionals of 'Novaya Gazeta' "never abandoned their struggle to inform the public and demand accountability from power," as well as the "extraordinary work" that for three decades the newspaper and its staff have carried out "in almost unimaginable conditions".
Both journalistic organizations firmly condemn "the continued intimidation" by President Vladimir Putin's Government against independent voices and recall that democracy needs these checks and balances so that the powerful are held accountable. "This is precisely what 'Novaya Gazeta' has always done," they conclude.