Russia's bastion of free press Novaya Gazeta shuts down under Kremlin pressure

Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, historically a bastion of independent journalism, announced Friday that it was closing, citing pressure from authorities.

"Novaya Gazeta is ceasing to exist," Editor-in-Chief Sergei Sokolov said in a statement published on YouTube. "The Russian authorities – the Russian special services – have forced the editorial team to end its work".

Russia has introduced near-Soviet levels of censorship since sending troops to Ukraine, pushing the vast majority of independent journalists into exile.

Novaya Gazeta, historically a bastion of Russian independent journalism, is classed as a "foreign agent" by Russian authorities – a label used to stifle dissent.

"Novaya Gazeta has been killed... On November 9 we will turn off the lights in our home, where we have lived for 30 years. We will shut down the servers and leave," Sokolov said.

Sokolov is a veteran editor at the newspaper.
Earlier this month, he was taken into questioning and Russian authorities searched his home over a criminal case involving one of his colleagues, Oleg Roldugin, arrested in April.

Roldugin was detained and charged with "unlawful access to computerised information", without any details being given.

He pleaded not guilty, according to the state RIA news agency.

Roldugin awaits trial in house arrest that has been extended until November 10, according to Novaya Gazeta.

Russia has intensified its crackdown on independent news outlets since its offensive on Ukraine in February 2022.

Novaya Gazeta cut down production inside Russia after the offensive began.

Authorities revoked its media license the same year.

The paper's then editor-in-chief, Dmitry Muratov, jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021 for his "efforts to safeguard freedom of expression" at the helm of the paper.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)