Novaya Gazeta, Russia's last remaining newspaper openly critical of the Kremlin and Moscow's ongoing all-out war in Ukraine, has closed after authorities stripped it of its media registration and severed its ability to operate, according to the publication. In a statement issued on 30 October, the paper stated that security services and censors had forced the editorial team to cease its activities.
Prior to the revocation of its media registration, the newsroom was ordered to vacate its premises, its reader donation system was shut down, its online resources were blocked, and its printing arrangements were terminated as state censors refused to allow publication. In its farewell statement, the newspaper declared that elections and elected bodies of power had in effect been abolished, civil society institutions destroyed, and freedom of conscience and human dignity trampled underfoot.
Editor-in-chief Sergei Sokolov held a final editorial meeting attended by staff, founder and Nobel laureate Dmitry Muratov, and journalists from other outlets. Staff packed their belongings and removed portraits of murdered colleagues from the walls, including Anna Politkovskaya, Yuri Shchekochikhin, and Natalya Estemirova.
Muratov described repression in Russia as overwhelming and stated that the country was run by the FSB rather than parliament or local administrations. In his farewell address, Muratov asked supporters to aid Russians opposed to the war, push for the release of political prisoners, seek a humanitarian corridor for villages in the former area of Oleshky, and work to halt Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities.
Muratov noted that more than 400,000 of the newspaper's articles had been archived and were being republished worldwide. Sokolov told those gathered outside the building that he was sure the country would come to its senses and that Novaya Gazeta would return to its readers and colleagues as soon as the first signs of recovery appeared.
Reporters Without Borders, Amnesty International, and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned the closure of the newspaper. Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed its significance, stating that some media outlets cease to exist while new ones take their place in a normal process.
Founded in 1993, Novaya Gazeta gained renown for covering the Chechen wars and investigating human rights abuses and corruption, though six of its journalists were murdered and authorities previously designated it a foreign agent. Following the departure of the staff, a new sign was placed on the wall alongside the newspaper's nameplate stating that Novaya Gazeta lived there.
Source: Euronews. Read the original report ↗