{
  "id": 17227442,
  "title": "'They killed us' – Pressure from Russian authorities forces closure of Novaya Gazeta",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/they-killed-us-pressure-from-russian-authorities-forces-closure-of",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-30T13:16:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Kyiv Independent",
    "slug": "kyiv-independent",
    "url": "https://kyivindependent.com/they-killed-us-pressure-from-russian-authorities-forces-closure-of-novaya-gazeta/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Novaya Gazeta, a renowned independent news outlet, announced on Oct. 30 that it would cease operations on Nov. 9 due to Russian authorities making it untenable to continue its work. The Russian government claimed they were upholding the constitutional order, but the staff of Novaya Gazeta argued otherwise. They stated that the Constitution had been violated, human rights and freedoms abolished, and defending them deemed a crime. The publication, founded in 1993, is celebrated for its investigative reporting. Over its three-decade existence, six journalists lost their lives under mysterious circumstances, including the infamous murder of Anna Politkovskaya, who exposed Russian military misconduct during the Chechen wars.\n\nFollowing Russia's invasion of Ukraine, censorship intensified, rendering it nearly impossible for independent media like Novaya Gazeta to function within the country. Several staff members fled the nation, and after Russian authorities prohibited collaboration with printing houses, the newspaper transitioned to an online-only format. Subsequently, Russian authorities revoked its media license and blocked access to its website from within Russia. Novaya Gazeta Europe, established in 2022, operates separately from the parent company.\n\nRussian authorities forced Novaya Gazeta to vacate its office on Oct. 28, and its donation system was discontinued, making its continued operations unsustainable. The staff emphasized that their plight is emblematic of a broader societal crisis. They wrote, \"This is not just our personal story. This is the story of a country and a society that are being crushed in exactly the same way. They killed us.\"",
  "summary": "\"This is not just our personal story. This is the story of a country and a society that are being crushed in exactly the same way,\" the Novaya Gazeta staff wrote.",
  "key_points": [
    "Russian authorities forced Novaya Gazeta to close on Nov. 9",
    "Six journalists lost their lives in the publication's history",
    "Russian invasion of Ukraine intensified censorship against independent media"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 6,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "Russia’s top independent newspaper shuts down, blaming pressure from authorities",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/russias-top-independent-newspaper-shuts-down-blaming-pressure-from",
        "published": "2026-10-30T14:01:53.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Insider",
        "title": "Russia’s last major independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta shuts down after 33 years amid Kremlin pressure",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/russias-last-major-independent-newspaper-novaya-gazeta-shuts-down",
        "published": "2026-10-30T14:12:14.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Hindustan Times - World News",
        "title": "US drops G20 group photo plans amid European diplomats' opposition to Russia's Sergey Lavrov",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/us-drops-g20-group-photo-plans-amid-european-diplomats-opposition-to",
        "published": "2026-10-30T15:13:07.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "CBS News",
        "title": "Last independent newspaper in Russia forced to shut down",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/last-independent-newspaper-in-russia-forced-to-shut-down",
        "published": "2026-10-30T16:03:43.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Euromaidan Press",
        "title": "“We have been killed”: Novaya Gazeta, the last major independent newsroom still working from inside Russia, closes after losing its Moscow office and its reader donations in the same week",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/we-have-been-killed-novaya-gazeta-the-last-major-independent-newsroom",
        "published": "2026-10-30T16:12:59.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}