Russia's Last Major Independent Newspaper Novaya Gazeta To Shut Down
Novaya Gazeta, Russia's last major independent newspaper, announced on Friday, October 30, 2026 that it will stop operating from November 9, 2026, leaving no major independent print outlets inside Russia.[1]
Editor in chief Sergei Sokolov said Russian authorities and security services forced the paper to close and declared, "The newspaper no longer exists." CBS News Staff were told a day earlier they were being evicted from their Potapovsky Lane newsroom and that the reader donation system, their last funding channel, had been switched off, the paper said.[1]
Novaya Gazeta suspended publication in March 2022 after state regulator warnings over "false information" about the Ukraine war, and it lost its media license in September 2022.[1] Earlier independent outlets Ekho Moskvy and TV Rain also ended operations inside Russia under pressure, leaving no major independent newspapers still operating there.[1]
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📌 Key Facts
- On Friday, October 30, 2026, Novaya Gazeta announced it will stop operating from November 9, 2026.
- Editor in chief Sergei Sokolov said Russian authorities and security services forced the paper to close and declared, "The newspaper no longer exists."
- Staff were notified a day earlier that they were being evicted from their Potapovsky Lane newsroom and that the reader donation system, their last funding channel, had been switched off.
- With Novaya Gazeta's shutdown, there are now no major independent newspapers still operating inside Russia; earlier, Ekho Moskvy and TV Rain also ended operations in the country under pressure.
- Novaya Gazeta had suspended publication in March 2022 after state regulator warnings about "false information" on the Ukraine war and lost its media license that September.
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