Novaya Gazeta, one of the last remaining independent and critical media outlets in Russia, has announced it is closing down. Editor-in-chief Sergei Sokolov stated in a video announcement that the Russian special services and state authorities forced the editorial team to end its work.
The newspaper cited a relentless campaign by authorities that included the pursuit of senior journalists by state prosecutors and the detention of a journalist earlier this year. Recent pressure included a search of a senior editor's home, and the outlet had been classed as a foreign agent by Moscow. These actions left the publication without an office and without financial support.
For more than 30 years, the newspaper founded by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dmitry Muratov investigated human rights violations, state violence, and corruption. The publication, described as a symbol of independent journalism, blamed its shutdown on persecution by the Kremlin and security services, characterizing the closure as a coordinated operation by the FSB.