The Supreme Court of Russia, at the request of the country’s media control agency Roskomnadzor, today revoked the license of the news site “Novaya Gazeta”.

The portal has 2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dmitry Muratov as its deputy director and co-founders, and the print version of the publication suffered from the same cancellation exactly 10 days ago.

But the paper’s paper circulation was already suspended by the editors in March due to increased pressure on journalists, and the online-only version was available. Muratov himself was the target of the attack inside a train.

“Novaya” was one of the very few independent Russian media outlets that has not been shut down by Vladimir Putin’s government since the start of the Ukraine war in February. In the early days of the conflict, the Kremlin passed laws prohibiting any media from publishing anti-war news – it’s supposed to be called a “special military operation”.

But according to the official memo published by the portal itself, the site was accused by Rozkomnadzor of the controversial law of “being a foreign agent”.

“We have the right to appeal the decision and we will certainly do so,” the statement said.

Muratov and Filipino journalist Maria Ressa were awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for their independent work against authoritarian governments that continue to practice despite all the risks.

Founded in 1993, Novaya Gazeta has killed six of its journalists over the past few years, and now nearly all of its editors have fled Russia.