Russian security forces on Thursday carried out a lengthy search at the Moscow editorial office of Novaya Gazeta, an independent newspaper, and arrested one of its investigative journalists, Oleg Roldugin.
According to Reuters, law-enforcement officers searched the newspaper’s Moscow office for over 13 hours. Novaya Gazeta later said authorities told editors that they had no formal complaints against the publication’s editorial office following the operation.
The raid took place the same day Russia’s Supreme Court ruled that the prominent human rights group “Memorial” was an extremist organization.
Roldugin was arrested over allegations of the illegal use of personal data and was later placed in pre-trial detention by a Moscow court.
He previously served as editor of another independent newspaper that was later shut down after its publisher was designated a “foreign agent,” months after it published a report on the death of opposition figure Alexei Navalny.
Roldugin had recently published an investigative report for Novaya Gazeta on how a former aide to the nephew of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov was able to acquire one of Russia’s most expensive penthouses.
Novaya Gazeta’s editor‑in‑chief, Dmitry Muratov, was a co‑recipient of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize, and dedicated the award to journalists who were killed for their work.
The outlet has faced sustained pressure for its investigative reporting, with six journalists and contributors killed since 2000, including reporter Anna Politkovskaya, an outspoken commentator on corruption and human rights abuses by Russian forces in Chechnya.
One of the individuals convicted in connection with her killing was later pardoned by Russian President Vladimir Putin after fighting in the war against Ukraine.
The raid and Roldugin’s detention come amid prolonged pressure on Russia’s remaining independent media outlets.