MOSCOW, Oct. 30, 2026 — Novaya Gazeta, one of Russia's best-known independent newspapers, announced Friday that it will shut down on Nov. 9.
"On November 9th, we will turn off the lights in the home where we have lived for 30 years, shut down our servers, and leave," the paper said in an English-language statement on its website. "The Russian authorities and the Russian security services have forced our editorial team to cease its operations."
Editor-in-chief Sergei Sokolov announced the closure in a video statement on YouTube, The Guardian and AFP reported. "Novaya Gazeta is ceasing to exist," he said, according to The Guardian's translation.
What the paper says happened
In its statement, Novaya Gazeta said it had been evicted from its office and that the donation platform it used to receive support from readers had been shut down. It said its website had been blocked, its license revoked and its printing press seized.
The paper also named six colleagues it said were murdered for their work, including journalist Anna Politkovskaya. It said its offices had been raided and Sokolov's apartment searched.
Russia's Justice Ministry added Novaya Gazeta to its register of "foreign agents" on Sept. 4, according to the Russian business paper Vedomosti. BBC News Russian also reported the September listing. Vedomosti reported that the paper plans to publish a final issue.
The paper's former editor-in-chief, Dmitry Muratov, shared the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for "efforts to safeguard freedom of expression," The Guardian noted.
A newsroom that lasted three decades now has 10 days left.
Sources: Novaya Gazeta statement, Oct. 30, 2026; The Guardian; AFP; Vedomosti; BBC News Russian.
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