Lhe war against Ukraine has made it impossible to work as a journalist in Russia. Those who call themselves journalists and have official access to the public have become representatives of the propaganda machine. The others, including myself, had to choose between abandoning the profession by allying themselves with false propaganda which asserts that there is no war in Ukraine, but only a struggle by the Russian army against the “neo-Nazis”, or leave the country. We chose the second option.
The Kremlin is incredibly good at spoiling their country’s talent. This has happened many times throughout history.
Since the beginning of the war, Novaya Gazeta maintained its editorial policy and continued to tell the truth to millions of Russians about the bloody aggression carried out by Vladimir Putin on Ukraine. I am proud that we have managed to hold on for so long, despite the censorship of the war: the newspaper was maintained thirty-two days after its outbreak.
An incomparable disaster
On April 7, Dmitry Muratov was mugged on a train – a man sprayed red paint on his face. We found the culprit, but the Russian authorities refused to investigate. On the same day, we – a group of editorial journalists – decided to leave the Moscow editorial office and immediately announced the launch of Novaya Gazeta. Europe.
We will no longer follow the rules laid down by the Kremlin. In our texts, opponents of the Kremlin are no longer designated by the imposed expression of“foreign agents”, and we act in accordance with European freedom of expression laws. We know that millions of Russians will never accept Putin’s war, and we want to be the voice of those Russians who share European values.
Europe has again become a divided continent, as it was before 1991. In place of the old iron curtain, the Russian authorities have erected new walls: informational and cultural, drawn in blood across the territory. from Ukraine. What is happening today marks the real dissolution of the USSR – the events of thirty years ago being only a repetition. Is it possible to have a Russia which does not threaten its neighbours, which lives in peace with them while respecting all languages and cultures? If we can dream of such a future in the future, we must get to work now.
February 24, 2022, the date of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, is the main event of our generation – a catastrophe without equal. We must build media, universities and political projects that will make it impossible to repeat this tragedy.
Over the past six months, Novaya Gazeta traveled a unique path: from international recognition to the abrupt cessation of its publication. The newspaper founded by Mikhail Gorbachev in 1993 did not belong to the oligarchs, but to the journalists themselves. It was impossible to close us by the mere will of the owner – as was done with our colleagues from the Moscow Echo radio. In December 2021, our editor, Dmitry Muratov, received the Nobel Peace Prize for his outstanding contribution to the defense of freedom of expression. And, as early as March, the authorities made us understand that, if we wanted to remain free, it was better to stop publishing the newspaper in Russia.
“Le Monde” in solidarity with the team of “Novaia Gazeta”
Novaya Gazetathe mythical newspaper of Dmitry Muratov, Nobel Peace Prize in 2021, and Anna Politkovskaïa, assassinated in 2006, had to stop publication on March 28, while a new leaden screed fell on the latest media Russian independents, as a result of Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
Since then, part of this courageous editorial team which has taken the road to exile has been trying to continue to Novaya Gazetathrough the media Novaya Gazeta. Europe. This newspaper writes about Russia, Ukraine and Europe, in Russian and English, and intends to continue its work of investigation and information on everything that happens in Russia and in relation to Russia.
A few days ago, the editor of Novaya Gazeta. EuropeKirill Martynov, appealed to the European press. “We can no longer publish a newspaper in our country. We ask you to help us publish and distribute across Europe some of our articles on the occasion of 9-May »when Vladimir Putin presides over the traditional military parade celebrating Russia’s victory over Nazism.
The world immediately decided to respond. And proudly welcomes the writings of his colleagues, who added a text by Anna Politkovskaya, written on May 6, 2004, three days before the military parade in Red Square. Out of solidarity and support for journalism and the teams of Novaya Gazeta.
Caroline Monnot (Editor of the “World”)
The “World” supports the editorial staff of “Novaya Gazeta”