‘They killed us’: Russia’s last independent newspaper falls silent amid pressure from Kremlin
Russia’s Independent News Landscape Loses a Defining Voice
Goldlaner.com – Novaya Gazeta, long regarded as one of the remaining symbols of independent journalism in Russia, says it will end its operations after sustained pressure from state authorities. The closure marks another severe blow to a media environment that has narrowed sharply since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Editor-in-chief Sergei Sokolov announced that the publication’s newsroom would shut its doors, its servers would be switched off, and its three-decade presence would come to an end on November 9. He said Russia’s security services had compelled the editorial staff to stop working.
“Novaya Gazeta has been killed.”
“On November 9, we will turn off the lights in the home where we have lived for 30 years. We will shut down our servers and leave…The Russian security services have forced the editorial team to cease operations.”
A newsroom built on investigative reporting
Created in the early 1990s with support from former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, Novaya Gazeta became known for investigations into corruption, abuses of power, and wrongdoing involving Russian state institutions. Its reporting often put it at odds with the Kremlin and exposed its journalists to exceptional risks.
The paper was previously led by Dmitry Muratov, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in October 2021 alongside Philippine journalist Maria Ressa. The Nobel Committee recognized both journalists for their work defending freedom of expression.
Six Novaya Gazeta journalists have been killed during the outlet’s roughly 35-year history. Among them was Anna Politkovskaya, a prominent critic of President Vladimir Putin whose reporting documented human rights violations in Chechnya. She was shot outside her Moscow apartment in 2006, on Putin’s birthday.
Muratov himself was attacked in April 2022 while traveling by train from Moscow to Samara. He was hit with red paint mixed with acetone, an assault that the newspaper said nearly cost him his eyesight. The people responsible were later released.
Pressure intensified after the invasion of Ukraine
The campaign against Novaya Gazeta accelerated after the war in Ukraine expanded in February 2022. Russian lawmakers adopted legislation in March that criminalized the dissemination of material deemed “fake” news about the military or information seen as discrediting Russian armed forces. The measures pushed many journalists into exile and made independent reporting inside Russia increasingly difficult.
Novaya Gazeta suspended both its print and online editions in Russia that year after receiving a warning from Roskomnadzor, the country’s media regulator. The warning followed Muratov’s participation in an interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky alongside other major independent Russian journalists.
An affiliated outlet, Novaya Gazeta Europe, operates from Riga, Latvia. Its existence reflects a wider shift among Russian independent media organizations, many of which have sought to continue publishing from outside the country after losing the ability to work freely at home.
Russian authorities later designated both Muratov and the newspaper as “foreign agents.” The label is commonly used against people and organizations alleged to be under foreign influence. It carries reporting obligations, financial restrictions, and reputational consequences that can make normal operations far more difficult.
The outlet said it had also lost the financial mechanisms that allowed readers to support its work. Its license was revoked, and access to its website was blocked within Russia.
“We carried on as long as we could, but we were evicted from our home and our donations platform that allowed us to receive financial support from our readers has been shut down.”
“We have been stripped of all our resources. Entirely.”
Arrests and a shrinking public-information space
The shutdown follows additional pressure on individual staff members. Investigative reporter Oleg Roldugin was arrested earlier this year on an allegation of “unlawful access to computerized information.” Sokolov was also detained for questioning, and investigators searched his home in connection with that case.
Sokolov described the publication’s collapse as part of a much wider loss of access to reliable information for Russian citizens. In his view, the problem extends beyond the fate of a single newsroom: it affects the public’s ability to understand events in their own communities and country.
“The information space in Russia has disappeared.”
“People do not know, and have no way of finding out, even what is happening in the neighboring street, because the sources of news available to them are either stories about a Russia that does not exist or propaganda promoting the way of thinking the ruling elite wants to impose on the public.”
For readers, the disappearance of independent outlets has consequences beyond national politics. Investigative reporting can scrutinize local corruption, document abuses, test official claims, and preserve facts that might otherwise be unavailable. When those institutions are shut down or driven abroad, obtaining competing accounts of public events becomes far harder.
Novaya Gazeta said it could no longer publish under its existing name and intended to issue one final edition before pausing to consider its future.
“‘Novaya’ no longer exists. One final issue will be published — and that’s it. After that, we’ll take a pause, reflect, and come up with a new life for ourselves.”
Muratov has remained active in calling for the release of Russian political prisoners and has continued to speak publicly despite the escalating constraints on independent voices. The newspaper’s final issue will close a chapter in Russian journalism, while leaving open the question of whether its reporters can eventually find another way to continue their work.
Related Reading
Frequently Asked Questions
What is They killed us?They killed us is the main topic of this guide. The article explains the context, practical details, and next steps readers should understand.
Why does They killed us matter?They killed us matters because readers are looking for a useful answer, not just a short summary. Good content should match search intent and help them decide what to do next.