“The Russian censorship agency Roskomnadzor has requested that Novaya Gazeta’s certificate of registration be declared invalid,” the publication said in a statement on Thursday. The announcement came after the newspaper received two warnings about alleged violations from the state’s communications watchdog. In March, Novaya Gazeta said it was suspending operations for the duration of the war in Ukraine after it became a crime to report anything about the conflict that deviated from the government line. The temporary suspension was designed to save the publication from being shut down amid draconian laws that have effectively banned any criticism of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. The editor-in-chief, Dmitry Muratov, said at the time that the official warnings were retaliation for Novaya Gazeta’s coverage of the attack and its efforts to assess “losses and damage” in both Russia and Ukraine. On Thursday, Novaya Gazeta said that Roskomnadzor went to court to cancel the media license of the newspaper’s website. “Roskomnadzor asked the court to declare the license of the print media Novaya Gazeta invalid due to the failure to provide the editorial charter within the time frame set by the media law,” the agency told Russian news agency RBC. The newspaper said it did not know why such a request had been made now. “Why are the lawsuits being filed four months after the warnings were issued, what has changed?” the outlet asked. “Is it politics? What is not politics now?’ Roskomnadzor, cited by Tass, also said on Thursday that it had requested the withdrawal of Novaya Gazeta’s print distribution license. The media outlet said it will fight for its rights in court. “What will Novaya Gazeta do? Prepare for the courts, defend our case, which we are sure of, prepare a new issue of NO magazine, relaunch the website and the new Novaya studio,” she said in a statement. “We’re not saying goodbye,” the newspaper added. Roskomnadzor said in a statement Thursday night: “Russian law requires strict compliance with measures aimed at preventing the spread of prohibited and unreliable information. In the context of the information war launched by the West against our country, the protection of Russian citizens from dangerous materials should be a priority not only for Russian government agencies but also for the owners of media and Internet resources. Some exiled Novaya Gazeta journalists launched a new newspaper in May, called Novaya Gazeta Europe. This month Novaya Gazeta also launched a magazine, but Russian authorities soon blocked its website. All major independent media outlets, including a radio station, Echo of Moscow, and the Dozhd TV channel, have been closed in Russia or suspended their operations in the country. Founded in 1993 after the breakup of the Soviet Union, Novaya Gazeta has paid a heavy price for its independent stance and investigative coverage. Since 2000, six of his journalists and associates have been murdered in connection with their work, including lead investigative reporter Anna Politkovskaya. Additional reporting by Samantha Lock
