# Citing government pressure, Russia’s top independent newspaper closes its office after three decades

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/citing-government-pressure-russias-top-independent-newspaper-closes-its-office-after-three-decades/
- Published: 2026-11-09T23:46:13+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-10T00:25:48+00:00
- Original publisher: PBS NewsHour (publisher lean: Centre)
- Original article: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/citing-government-pressure-russias-top-independent-newspaper-closes-its-office-after-three-decades
- Topics: Europe, Government, Politics, World

## Key points

- Novaya Gazeta has closed its Moscow office after 30 years.
- Government pressure had blocked its platforms and dismantled its operations.
- Some former staff continue reporting through a separate outlet abroad.

## Summary

Novaya Gazeta, widely regarded as Russia’s leading independent newspaper, has closed its Moscow office after three decades, saying government and security-service pressure forced its staff to stop working there. Its departure removes the last major Kremlin-critical media outlet still operating inside Russia, amid a wider crackdown that intensified after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

Founded in 1993, the paper investigated human rights abuses and corruption; six of its journalists were killed, including Anna Politkovskaya in 2006. Authorities fined it, labelled it a “foreign agent”, blocked its online platforms, seized its printing house, revoked its media registration and shut down its reader donation system. Editor-in-chief Sergei Sokolov said he hoped it would return, while some former staff now work on the separate Novaya Gazeta Europe project abroad.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.