After thirty years of reporting on corruption, abuse of power and violations of human rights, Novaya Gazeta, Russia's most prominent independent newspaper, has come to an end. Its staff gathered for a last editorial meeting, then packed up and left the offices they had occupied for decades, a quiet ending that follows eviction and the loss of the means to fund its work. The Kremlin describes the closure as an ordinary turn in a diverse media landscape, while the paper itself points to pressure from the authorities. The question that remains is how much room is left in Russia for journalism tha
Novaya Gazeta, Russia's Leading Independent Paper, Closes After Eviction and Donation Blocks
The newspaper's staff held a final editorial meeting and packed up their belongings after losing their offices and the outlet's ability to operate.
A newsroom of 30 years ended with a meeting and boxes
Mark
Novaya Gazeta has closed. Why does this one matter beyond a single newspaper?
Mimi
Because for 30 years it published investigations into corruption, human rights violations and abuse of power. It was Russia's leading independent paper, so there's little left that fills that role.
Mark
How did it actually end?
Mimi
Evicted from offices it had held for three decades, and, by its own account, blocked from receiving donations. Monday was the last editorial meeting, then everyone packed up.
Luke
Let's be careful with that. The donation block is the outlet's claim. We don't have who blocked it or how.
Mimi
Fair. The eviction is reported as fact, but the reasons and who ordered it aren't in what we have.
Mark
What does the Kremlin say?
Mimi
Dmitry Peskov called it a standard rotational process and said Russia's media is highly diverse.
Luke
That's a characterization, not an explanation. It doesn't address the eviction or the donations specifically.
Mark
And Dmitry Muratov?
Mimi
The Nobel laureate and co-founder spoke to the BBC. We don't have his words here, so I won't guess at them.
Luke
Good. Whether the paper can continue in some form is also unknown.
Il Polso
- Russia's leading independent newspaper has shut its doors after being evicted from its offices.
- The outlet says it was blocked from receiving donations, cutting off both its workspace and its funding.
- A final editorial meeting ended with staff packing their belongings and leaving a building they had occupied for thirty years.
- The Kremlin dismisses the closure as a standard rotational process, leaving the paper's accusations unanswered.
- Co-founder and Nobel laureate Dmitry Muratov has spoken out, and the question of whether the former staff can publish again remains open.
After thirty years of reporting on corruption, abuse of power and violations of human rights, Novaya Gazeta, Russia's most prominent independent newspaper, has come to an end. Its staff gathered for a last editorial meeting, then packed up and left the offices they had occupied for decades, a quiet ending that follows eviction and the loss of the means to fund its work. The Kremlin describes the closure as an ordinary turn in a diverse media landscape, while the paper itself points to pressure from the authorities. The question that remains is how much room is left in Russia for journalism that asks uncomfortable questions of those in power.
On Monday, the staff of Novaya Gazeta gathered for one last editorial meeting. Afterward they packed their belongings and left the offices the newspaper had occupied for three decades. Russia's leading independent newspaper had closed.
The paper says it was first evicted from its premises and then blocked from receiving donations. Together, those pressures left it without a place to work and without a way to fund itself.
For 30 years, Novaya Gazeta investigated corruption, human rights violations and abuse of power. That record is why its end weighs on more than its own newsroom.
The Kremlin sees it differently. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the closure part of "a standard rotational process," describing ordinary turnover rather than official pressure.
The BBC also spoke with Dmitry Muratov, the paper's co-founder and Nobel Peace Prize winner. Many questions stay open: who ordered the eviction, on what grounds, and which authorities blocked the donations. What is clear is the scene itself, a newsroom that spent decades questioning power, ending with a final meeting and boxes carried out of a building.
On Monday, the staff of Novaya Gazeta gathered for one last editorial meeting. Afterward they packed their belongings and left the offices the newspaper had occupied for three decades. Russia's leading independent newspaper had closed.
The closure followed two pressures. The paper was evicted from its premises, and it says it was blocked from receiving donations. Taken together, those left it without a place to work and without a way to fund itself. The source describes the closure as coming after eviction and pressure from authorities.
For 30 years, Novaya Gazeta published investigations into corruption, human rights violations and abuse of power in Russia. That body of work is why the paper was regarded as the country's foremost independent voice, and why its end carries weight beyond its own newsroom.
The Kremlin sees it differently. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia's media landscape is highly diverse, and he described the closure as part of "a standard rotational process." In his framing, a paper ending its run is ordinary turnover rather than the result of official pressure.
The BBC spoke to Dmitry Muratov, a co-founder of the paper and a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, about the closure. The summary of that interview available here does not set out what he said, so his account of the final days and of who is responsible is not reproduced in this telling.
Some things remain unclear from the material at hand. It does not say who ordered the eviction, on what grounds, or which authorities blocked the donations. The claim about blocked donations comes from the outlet itself. The Kremlin's response addresses the closure in general terms and does not engage with those specifics.
What is plain is the human scene: a newsroom that spent 30 years investigating power, ending with a staff meeting and boxes carried out of a building. What to watch next is whether Muratov and the former staff find some way to keep publishing, and how the authorities answer the specific claims about the eviction and the donations.
Citazioni salienti
The closure is part of a standard rotational process, and Russia's media is highly diverse.— Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesman
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Politics & Governance