The independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta has announced it is shutting down and ceasing operations after facing intense pressure from state authorities, who recently searched the home of its senior editor. In a statement published on its website, the publication declared that authorities had ended its 30-year run, with editor-in-chief Sergei Sokolov stating that the team would turn off the servers and leave.
History of Novaya Gazeta
Established in 1993 following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Novaya Gazeta served as one of the few remaining critical media outlets in Russia, focusing on corruption investigations and government policies. Although the outlet always operated under state pressure, conditions worsened significantly following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which brought strict censorship levels reminiscent of the Soviet era. As reported by Deutsche Welle: DW.com, most independent journalists have been forced into exile, while those staying in Russia face “foreign agent” designations that restrict daily life, including income from rent, interest, and royalties.
Former editor-in-chief Dmitry Muratov dedicated his 2021 Nobel Peace Prize to six murdered colleagues, including Anna Politkovskaya, who investigated military abuses in Chechnya and was found dead in 2006. The shutdown announcement follows a questioning two weeks prior, where Sokolov was interrogated over an alleged unlawful use of personal data linked to a criminal case against colleague Oleg Roldugin. International media rights groups, including Reporters Without Borders, strongly criticized the targeting of the newspaper and urged the Kremlin to halt the judicial harassment.
Cessation of Operations and Ukraine Truce
In its final editorial, the newspaper stated that its closure mirrored the broader condition of modern Russia under President Putin, describing an environment where human rights, free elections, public institutions, and the rule of law have been dismantled. Meanwhile, in Ukraine, evacuations of stranded residents from the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky began as a localized US-brokered ceasefire entered its fourth day. Residents in the town, which fell to Russian troops in 2022, had suffered severe shortages of food, water, and medicine for months.
The population in Oleshky has declined from 24,000 down to roughly 2,000 residents, many of whom were scheduled for evacuation to either Russian or Ukrainian-controlled areas. Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia confirmed that humanitarian aid distribution and evacuations had commenced, while Russian human rights ombudsman Yana Lantratova shared video footage of people waiting to board buses. The localized truce, announced by US First Lady Melania Trump, marks the longest pause in combat since the 2022 invasion and is scheduled to conclude on Sunday evening.
