Novaya Gazeta, Russia’s last independent newspaper, will cease operations Monday. Founded in 1993 with Nobel Peace Prize funds from Mikhail Gorbachev, the paper became known for fearless investigative journalism. It exposed government corruption, documented war crimes in Chechnya, and lost six employees — including star reporter Anna Politkovskaya, assassinated on Vladimir Putin’s birthday in 2006.
Co-founder Dmitri Muratov won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021 for defending press freedom. Just months later, Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. New censorship laws made independent reporting illegal, forcing the paper to choose between exile or compliance.
Ninety-four percent of subscribers voted to stay in Russia. The paper continued under military censorship, publishing blurred articles and blank spaces where censored content was removed. In April 2022, Muratov was attacked with paint and acetone at a Moscow train station; police released his attackers.
Authorities stripped the paper of its print license. Meanwhile, former staff founded Novaya Gazeta Europe in Riga, Latvia, to continue independent reporting from abroad.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing