Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta shuts under Kremlin pressure

MOSCOW, Oct 30: Russia's flagship independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta announced Friday it was closing, saying it had been "killed" by state pressure after years of repression targeting its journalists whose reporting was critical of the Kremlin and its Ukraine war.

The closure of Novaya Gazeta -- one of the last outlets to openly criticise Russia's offensive -- marks a new low in Moscow's campaign against dissenting voices that gained speed after the Kremlin sent troops into its neighbour in 2022.

Since then, the newspaper, long considered a bastion of independent journalism, has seen its media license revoked, while its journalists and editors have been questioned, detained and had their homes searched.

It was also branded a "foreign agent" -- a label reminiscent of Soviet-era repression used to stifle dissent.
�" AFP