Novaya Gazeta closes in Russia: UK and Finland call for an end to repression of independent media

Novaya Gazeta, Russia’s best-known independent newspaper, ceased operations inside the country on 9 November, and the United Kingdom and Finland used the day to call on Moscow to end its repression of independent media. In a joint statement, the two governments, who co-chair the Media Freedom Coalition, described the closure as “a stark reminder of the sustained pressure facing independent journalism in Russia”.

The newspaper announced on 30 October that it was shutting down after more than 30 years. According to the Associated Press, it said “They have killed us” and planned to close its office on 9 November after a final issue. Russian authorities had not commented at the time of that report.

What the UK and Finland said

The British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office published the text. It recalls that the paper and its journalists reported for decades on corruption, repression and human rights abuses, often at great personal risk, and remembers the reporters who lost their lives, including Anna Politkovskaya. The two governments say Russian authorities continue to use repressive legislation against the press, and that independent journalists face arrest, detention, harassment and political imprisonment. They call for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners, including all unlawfully imprisoned journalists.

Background

Associated Press reported that the paper was founded in 1993 with help from Mikhail Gorbachev, who gave part of his 1990 Nobel Peace Prize money. After the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 it was the last major independent outlet critical of the Kremlin. Six of its journalists have been killed. Its longtime editor Dmitry Muratov shared the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize, and stepped down as editor in 2023 after being named a “foreign agent”.

The paper’s own account of the pressure, as relayed by AP, lists fines for allegedly discrediting the armed forces, a foreign-agent label, blocked websites, a seized printing house, a revoked media registration, office searches and the shutdown of its reader donation system. It blamed the FSB, the Justice Ministry and the Prosecutor General’s office. These are the newspaper’s allegations; the Russian authorities have not answered them.

What happens next

Staff who left Russia have launched Novaya Gazeta Europe, which, according to AP, remains critical of the Kremlin and of its actions in Ukraine, and the UK and Finland pledged continued solidarity with journalists working in Russia and in exile.

The closure comes as European governments are trying to shape the diplomacy around the war. For the latest, see our report UK Prime Minister and Finland’s Stubb agree Ukraine peace work must continue at pace, press Russia to engage.