Russia ‘forces’ closure of investigative newspaper Novaya Gazeta

What the report says

Russian investigative newspaper Novaya Gazeta says it will shut down after what it describes as sustained pressure from the authorities, according to Al Jazeera’s report published on 30 October 2026. The outlet’s editorial board said the state and security services forced staff to end operations, and editor-in-chief Sergei Sokolov said the paper was effectively ceasing to exist. The newspaper is widely known in Russia for its independent reporting and has been labeled a “foreign agent” by Moscow, a designation often used against critics.

Al Jazeera reported that the closure follows a period of intensified scrutiny of Russian media during the war in Ukraine. It said authorities recently searched Sokolov’s home and took him in for questioning, while another journalist, Oleg Roldugin, had earlier been arrested and charged with unlawful access to computerized information. The board’s statement said the paper had been pushed out after years of pressure, including raids, prosecutions and attacks on staff.

The shutdown is significant because Novaya Gazeta has long been one of the best-known independent newspapers in Russia and a symbol of press freedom. The report also noted that the paper had already reduced its operations in Russia after the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, when officials revoked its media license. Reporters Without Borders and other press-freedom groups have warned that independent journalism in Russia has been sharply constrained as censorship and repression have increased.