“The Kremlin is shutting down Russia’s last free newspaper”

Key points

• Novaya Gazeta, Russia's last liberal newspaper, is shutting down after police and sanctions escalated.
• Publisher Dmitry Muratov and editor Sergei Sokolov told staff to leave phones outside amid safety concerns.
• The paper faced license revocation, website blocking, and financial channels being cut off.
• Since 1993 it reported on state violence; six journalists were killed, including Politkovskaya.
• Many staff moved to Latvia forming Novaya Gazeta Europe, while some remained in Moscow to continue reporting.