Novaya Gazeta itself and its staff had been facing a multitude of problems.
The authorities had already revoked the newspaper’s licence and blocked access to its website. Several of its journalists and contributors had been designated “foreign agents”, a label often used by the Russian authorities to punish critics.
Earlier this year there was a police search of the editorial office. A veteran investigative journalist, Oleg Roldugin, was arrested and charged with “unlawful access to computerised information”.
In connection with the case, the newspaper’s editor-in-chief, Sergei Sokolov, was recently taken in for police questioning and his home was searched.
Despite increasing pressure, Novaya Gazeta had managed to continue operating, albeit in a reduced form.
Loyal readers used virtual private networks to circumvent official blocking of the website and access content. But the loss of its licence and other restrictions dealt a major blow.
One of the founders of Novaya Gazeta in the 1990s – and for many years its chief editor – was journalist Dmitry Muratov, external. In 2021, Muratov was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for efforts “to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace”.
The award didn’t stop the authorities from declaring him a “foreign agent” in 2023.
At the offices of Novaya Gazeta, they’ve already started packing.
The end of this newspaper is very much the end of an era.
In an increasingly authoritarian Russia, it’s also a sign of the times.
