Russia labels Novaya Gazeta a “foreign agent”

Russia’s Justice Ministry has labeled Novaya Gazeta a “foreign agent,” adding one of the country’s few remaining independent media outlets to the official register.

The ministry announced the decision Friday afternoon in the latest update to the register, according to the Norway-based online newspaper The Barents Observer. In a statement, it accused Novaya Gazeta of spreading false information about decisions by Russian state authorities, government policy and the country’s electoral system.

The ministry also pointed to the newspaper’s condemnation of the war in Ukraine, its contacts with people already designated as foreign agents, and its publication of material produced by those individuals.

Novaya Gazeta published its first issue in 1993. It has built a reputation for investigative reporting and critical coverage of the Russian authorities. Its journalists have repeatedly faced threats, assaults and assassination attempts, and six employees have been killed.