Russia Shuts Down Novaya Gazeta After 33 Years
Russia forces closure of Novaya Gazeta
Russia's most prominent independent newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, announced on 30 October 2026 that it is closing after 33 years of publication. Editor-in-chief Sergei Sokolov made the announcement in a video posted to YouTube, saying the editorial team had been forced out by Russian authorities and security services. The paper will publish a final issue and shut down its servers on 9 November 2026. Novaya Gazeta had been operating at reduced capacity since March 2022, when it suspended print and online editions after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Its office on Potapovsky Lane in Moscow, where staff had worked for 29 years, is being confiscated. The paper's donation platform, used to receive reader funding, was also shut by authorities. An offshoot publication, Novaya Gazeta Europe, continues to operate from Riga, Latvia.
"Novaya Gazeta has been killed. On November 9 we will turn off the lights in our home, where we have lived for 30 years. The Russian authorities, the Russian special services, have forced the editorial team to end its work.
"Sergei Sokolov - Novaya Gazeta editor-in-chief
6journalists killed on duty since the paper was founded in 1993
Years in operation
33
Staff journalists killed since founding
6
Nobel Peace Prize awarded to founder
2021
Formal Roskomnadzor warnings before 2022 suspension
2
Years since Russian media licence revoked
4
Country rank on RSF Press Freedom Index 2026
164 of 180
What happens next
- 9 November 2026: Novaya Gazeta publishes its final issue and shuts servers.
- Novaya Gazeta Europe, based in Riga, Latvia, continues publishing in Russian and remains a source for independent coverage of Russia.
- Kremlin could yet designate Novaya Gazeta "undesirable" or "extremist," which would make contact with its journalists a criminal offence.
- Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders have called for international pressure on Russia over the closure.
- Muratov has said he will not stop speaking out; his legal situation in Russia remains precarious.
How we know this. Guardian first publication 15:52 UTC 30 Oct 2026 (in-window). Al Jazeera, CNN, France24, ABC News, RFERL, Meduza, Moscow Times, Euronews, Irish Times all confirm closure and quote Sokolov directly. Muratov quote via AFP, reported by Meduza and RFERL. Cover image: Modern printing press photo by Andre Robillard (arsphtgrph), originally published on Unsplash before 5 June 2017 under CC0 1.0 Universal public domain dedication, archived on Wikimedia Commons.
