Russia revokes media license of top independent newspaper

A court in Moscow on Monday upheld a motion from Russian authorities to revoke the license of a top independent newspaper that for years has been critical of the Kremlin, the latest move in a months-long crackdown on independent media, opposition activs and human rights groups.
The ruling against Novaya Gazeta, Russia’s most renowned independent newspaper, comes amid Russia’s grinding military campaign in Ukraine and the Kremlin’s effort to silence critics of what it calls a “special military operation”.
Dmitry Muratov, Nobel Peace Prize-winning editor-in-chief of the newspaper, called the ruling on Monday “political” and “not having the slightest legal basis,” and he promised to contest it.
Roskomnadzor, Russia’s media and internet regulator, petitioned the court to revoke Novaya Gazeta’s licence, accusing it of failing to submit the newsroom charter to authorities on time.
Novaya Gazeta announced March 28 that it was suspending operations for the duration of what it referred to in quotation marks as “the special operation” in Ukraine, the term that Russian authorities ins media must use for the military action in Ukraine.
Its team, however, launched a new project, Novaya Gazeta Europe, from abroad, criticising the operation in Russia’s ex-Soviet neighbour.
Days after Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine on Feb 24, Russia’s Kremlin-controlled parliament approved legislation that outlawed alleged disparaging of the Russian military or the spread of “false information” about the country’s military operation in Ukraine.
Dozens of Russian independent media outlets were banned as a result, while other announced halting any reporting related to Ukraine.