Novaya Gazeta Announces November 9 Closure, Citing Pressure From Russian Authorities

Novaya Gazeta's Moscow editorial team announced on October 30 that it would cease operations on November 9, blaming pressure from Russian authorities and security services. The newspaper said it would shut down its servers and leave the office where its journalists had worked for 30 years. Its editors said they would publish one final issue. The editorial team said: "The Russian authorities and the Russian security services have forced our editorial team to cease its operations." It said its donation system had been cut off at the same time it received an eviction notice, leaving it without readers' financial support. According to the statement, banks cited internal corporate rules; the editors alleged a coordinated campaign against the newsroom. The newspaper described earlier restrictions on its work, including blocked online resources, loss of media registration and seizure of its printing press. It also reported searches of the newsroom and editor-in-chief Sergei Sokolov's apartment, and said staff had been forced to leave Russia. These were the editorial team's account of the measures preceding the closure announcement. On September 4, 2026, Russia's Justice Ministry added the publication to its foreign-agent registry. The ministry accused it of spreading inaccurate information about government policy and elections, opposing Russia's military operation in Ukraine, and interacting with designated foreign agents. That record predates the closure announcement. The editors' October 30 statement did not give a publication date for the final issue.