Russia shuts down Novaya Gazeta magazine after newspaper licence revoked

Russia on Tuesday revoked the licence of a magazine launched by top independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta, which had its own print licence revoked a day earlier.

Novaya Rasskaz-Gazeta magazine was launched by Novaya Gazeta newspaper, a leading liberal outlet whose chief editor was co-awarded a Nobel Peace Prize.

A court on Monday effectively shut the newspaper down by revoking its print licence, and did the same for the magazine on Tuesday.

"The Basmanny court in Moscow has revoked the registration licence of 'Novaya Rasskaz-Gazeta'," the outlet said on social media, meaning it will no longer be allowed to publish in print.

The website of the publication has already been blocked by Russian authorities.

The decision was made following a complaint from the state media watchdog, which said too much time had passed between the registration of the magazine's name in 2009 and the publication of its first issue in July 2022.

The watchdog did not clarify why it "waited so long to file an administrative claim," Novaya Gazeta said.

Russian independent media have in recent years faced unprecedented pressure, and authorities have further tightened the screws since the start of Moscow's offensive in Ukraine in February.

Novaya Gazeta suspended publication in March after a series of media restrictions were imposed on coverage of the Ukraine conflict.

All main independent media outlets have been shut down in Russia or suspended their domestic operations.

On Monday, a respected former defence reporter Ivan Safronov was sentenced to 22 years in jail on controversial treason charges that his supporters says were revenge for his work.

Novaya Gazeta has paid a heavy price for its independent stance and investigative coverage since its founding shortly after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Since 2000, six of its journalists and contributors have been killed in connection with their work, including top investigative reporter Anna Politkovskaya.

The newspaper's editor-in-chief chief Dmitry Muratov was last year awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for "efforts to safeguard freedom of expression".