Russia: the editor-in-chief of the independent media Novaya Gazeta, Sergei Sokolov, arrested after a search of his home

The editor-in-chief of the independent Russian media Novaya Gazeta was arrested after a search of his home, the newspaper classified by the Russian authorities as a “foreign agent” announced on Thursday.

“The editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta, Sergei Sokolov, was taken to the Investigative Committee (Russian judicial body, Editor's note) after the search of his home,” Novaya Gazeta said on Telegram.

According to this newspaper, a historic bastion of the independent press in Russia, the editorial team lost contact with Sergei Sokolov around noon on Thursday, “just before an editorial meeting that he was to chair.” A lawyer is on the way to assist Sergei Sokolov, this media also said. Novaya Gazeta has often found itself in the sights of the authorities due to its investigations into human rights violations.

“Discrediting the armed forces”

The editorial offices were raided in April and one of its journalists, Oleg Roldougin, placed in detention. Sergei Sokolov was already arrested in 2024 and prosecuted for “discrediting the armed forces” because of an article, the NGO Reporters Without Borders then denounced.