‘A big bright lighthouse has been swept away by a murky wave’: Russian journalists, writers, and public figures react to Novaya Gazeta’s closure

For more than 30 years, Novaya Gazeta operated under constant pressure. Its journalists were threatened, attacked, and murdered; the newspaper was stripped of its media registration, and Russia’s Justice Ministry designated it a “foreign agent.” In October 2026, Novaya Gazeta was ordered to vacate its office in central Moscow and lost the ability to collect donations. Shortly afterward, its editors announced that the newspaper was shutting down.