Novaya Gazeta closes Moscow office after 33 years, citing official pressure
Novaya Gazeta, an independent Russian newspaper, closed its Moscow office on 9 November 2026, ending operations after 33 years of publication. The newspaper said it was shutting down under pressure from the authorities and the security services, according to Meduza and NBC News. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it would be wrong to describe the closure as the end of an era for independent Russian media, calling it a rotational process, according to Vedomosti. Staff held a final editorial meeting, then removed from the office walls the portraits of six journalists who had worked with the publication and were killed, Meduza's exile outlet Novaya Gazeta Europe and Meduza reported. Deutsche Welle reported that Russian authorities had labelled the paper a "foreign agent" and ordered it to vacate its premises.
How each bloc framed it
Outlets & characterisations (9)
Every characterisation below is written in our own words; no publisher headline is reproduced. Each row links out to the original report.
- NBC News· Private— led with the shutdown as the loss of Russia's last major independent newspaper, attributing the stated cause to government pressure from the Kremlin.Read report ↗
- ABC News· Private— reported the closure of the Moscow offices, attributing the stated cause to pressure from the government.Read report ↗
- The New York Times· Private— led with the closure after more than 30 years of reporting, quoting a journalist saying the process of silencing the paper began years ago.Read report ↗
Coverage timeline by bloc (first report)
Independent confirmation working (9 outlets → 9 independent)
Outlets citing the same wire agency, carrying near-duplicate standfirsts, or belonging to the same ownership group count as one confirmation.