Novaya Gazeta Closes Moscow Office After Three Decades

Novaya Gazeta closed its Moscow office on November 9, ending operations at the premises where its journalists had worked for three decades. The newspaper announced the closure on October 30, saying pressure from Russian authorities and security services had made it impossible to continue reporting. The Kremlin described the move as a routine process in a competitive media environment.

Journalists held a final editorial meeting and left the office. Staff removed portraits of colleagues killed during the newsroom’s history, including investigative reporter Anna Politkovskaya, and gathered outside as the premises shut. Former editor-in-chief Dmitry Muratov addressed people assembled at the building, speaking about political and civil rights in Russia.

The newspaper’s account and the Kremlin’s explanation differ. Novaya Gazeta said authorities and security services had forced its editorial team to cease operations. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the closure a standard rotational process, saying new publications would replace those that close. The two sides offered no common explanation for the decision.

Novaya Gazeta had suspended its print edition after Russia’s 2022...