'They Have Killed Us:' A Russian Newspaper Closes

Russia's most renowned independent newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, on Friday announced its closure after more than three decades of operation, blaming relentless official pressure, per the AP. "They have killed us," the newspaper said in an editorial statement, announcing that it will shut its office on Nov. 9 after publishing its final issue. "The Russian authorities and the Russian security services have forced our editorial team to cease operations." There was no immediate comment from Russian authorities. Novaya Gazeta was launched in 1993 with assistance from former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who used part of his 1990 Nobel Peace Prize to fund it. It was Russia's last major independent media outlet critical of the Kremlin after others either shut or had their websites blocked after President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022.

Six of the newspaper's journalists were killed, including Anna Politkovskaya, who reported on atrocities during the second Chechen War at the start of Putin's first term as Russian president. She was shot dead in her apartment building in 2006. Five men were convicted of involvement in her murder in 2014, but there has never been a ruling on who ordered her killing. The newspaper's longtime editor-in-chief Dmitry Muratov, who won the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize that he shared with Philippine journalist Maria Ressa, was attacked on a train in 2022 by an assailant who poured red paint over him, causing severe discomfort to his eyes. Muratov stepped down as editor in 2023 after being named a "foreign agent" by Russian authorities.