His newspaper is no longer allowed to appear, but Kirill Martynow doesn’t want to give up because of that. “We will rebuild the newspaper in Russia, maybe it will take months, maybe years,” says the former deputy editor-in-chief of the independent Russian “Novaya Gazeta”. Until then, a new newspaper is to be created outside of Russia, the “Novaya Gazeta Europa”. Martynow is the founder and editor-in-chief at the same time.
Formally and legally, the new medium will have no connection to the most well-known newspaper critical of the Kremlin, as the 40-year-old emphasizes several times. After all, reporting abroad should not fall back on the journalists of “Novaya Gazeta” who were still in the country. The newspaper had to stop publication at the end of March after being warned by the Russian media regulator Roskomnadzor.
With the cessation, the newspaper forestalled a possible judicial closure, because the supervisory authority had repeatedly objected to the newspaper’s reporting on the war in Ukraine. The editors spoke of a temporary end until the “end of the special operation”, as Russia’s war is called in official propaganda.
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Since the Russian invasion of the neighboring country, the Moscow authorities have massively stepped up repression of independent media in Russia. Not even the term “war” may be used in this context. It is also forbidden to call the attack by the Russian army an “attack” or an “invasion”. Media must submit to this censorship. Those who do not comply with their guidelines are forced to give up by court order or face heavy fines.
The independent Russian television channel “Dozhd” has already been shut down, and the radio station “Ekho Moskvy” has also had to shut down. As a result, the traditional and well-known media critical of the Kremlin in the print, radio and television sectors in Russia have now fallen silent, as has the independent online media. Many journalists who until recently worked for these media no longer feel safe in Russia. Some left the country in the first weeks of the war, while others are currently planning to emigrate – for an indefinite period. Many Russian journalists critical of the government have meanwhile found refuge in the Baltic states in particular, but Georgia and Turkey are also considered the first destinations for the new emigrants because of the still functioning flight connections.
Novaya Gazeta editor-in-chief and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dmitry Muratov has apparently decided to remain in Russia despite mounting pressure and intimidation. Last week Muratov was attacked while traveling by train from Moscow to Samara. Two men entered his compartment and showered him with red paint, which was probably mixed with a corrosive substance. He sustained injuries to his eyes.
At Novaya Gazeta, planning for a newspaper project outside the country began last year, even before Muratov was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The team could now fall back on these considerations. “Novaya Gazeta Europa” is aimed “at Russian-speaking Europeans who share European values and do not support the war,” Martynov told the Tagesspiegel during a visit to Berlin. The new editorial team wants to report on events in Russia and the war in Ukraine as well as on international issues. Martynov emphasizes that the Russian-speaking community in Europe is divided, but there are millions of Russians who do not support President Vladimir Putin. He sees the new media project as “the voice of the Russians who are against Putin”.
The Russian-speaking community at a glance
Moscow’s state media have been trying to address the Russian-speaking community in Germany and other EU countries for years. On the other hand, there have only been very few media outlets outside of Russia that have countered the Kremlin’s propaganda in Russian.
Only about two weeks after the closure of the “Novaya Gazeta” the project of the “Novaya Gazeta Europa” is to start. A new media company was established in Latvia last week to publish the newspaper. By the summer, Martynov wants to set up an editorial office in Riga where former employees of Novaya Gazeta who have left Russia can find new jobs.
However, the team’s work has already begun: Even before the official start, “Novaya Gazeta Europa” opened a Telegram channel, which more than 92,000 people subscribed to in the first five days. The website of the new medium starts this Thursday. In the Baltic States, a print edition is also planned in the medium term, although this will not appear every day. The texts are to be published not only in Russian, but also in other European languages. In the medium term, Novaya Gazeta Europa also wants to open a small office with its own reporters in Berlin.
