Russian investigative newspaper Novaya Gazeta says it is shutting down after 'coordinated campaign'

Independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta said on Friday ​that it was shutting down after what it ​described as a relentless campaign by ‌the ​authorities which saw state prosecutors pursue some of its senior journalists and left it without financial support and an office. The newspaper, which has often been ‌highly critical of the authorities, has existed for more than three decades and has faced serious problems in the past. Six of its journalists, including investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya, have been murdered, in varying circumstances.

But like ‌other media outlets not run by the state, Novaya Gazeta has come under increasingly intense pressure ‌from the authorities after Russia launched its full-scale war in Ukraine in 2022 and sweeping new censorship rules were introduced which mandated long jail terms for discrediting the Russian army or disseminating what the authorities deem to be fake news. "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 newspaper no longer exists. ⁠The Russian authorities and the Russian security services have forced our editorial team to cease its operations," Novaya Gazeta ​said in a statement.

"More than 30 years of our life shared with our country and its ⁠citizens will end, leaving us homeless, with no means of existence and under the constant threat of repression. 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". There was no immediate comment from the authorities. But the Kremlin - which accuses foreign ⁠intelligence services of trying to ⁠stir up discontent inside Russian society - has said in the past that some censorship is necessary at a time when Russia is locked in what ‌it describes as ‌an existential struggle with the West over Ukraine.