Russia: Independent Novaya Gazeta shuts its Moscow newsroom

The investigative newspaper is closing its doors after Russian authorities labeled it a "foreign agent" and ordered it vacate its Moscow premises. The Novaya Gazeta newspaper closed its Moscow office on Monday, saying it was not able to continue reporting amid a campaign of state pressure in Russia . The investigative outlet, co-founded by late USSR chief Mikhail Gorbachev, had long been a thorn in the Kremlin's side.

In recent years, it ran into increasing roadblocks amid its critical coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine . It was branded a "foreign agent," a Soviet-era term resuscitated by President Vladimir Putin 's administration, with officials ordering it to vacate its Moscow offices. Russian banks were also forbidden from processing donations from readers and supporters.

The paper had been heavily dependent on this income stream after moving wholly into online publishing, with the transition taking place shortly after the invasion of Ukraine. Russian authorities introduced new wartime censorship rules in the wake of the full-scale invasion.