Novaya Gazeta Europe editorial statement in support of RFE/RL

We would like to express support for our colleagues who have worked at these organisations. For many years, you have been reliable partners in our work, which strives to bring peace and democracy back to Russia.

During the many decades of the Cold War, Radio Liberty and Voice of America were a vital source of information for millions of Russians and Soviet citizens living behind the Iron Curtain. It is hard to overestimate the impact that radio broadcasting in Russian from the free world had on the historical events of the perestroika era, when the confrontation between the Soviet Union and the US came to an end and the world learned to live without the fear of nuclear war.

As a new Russian dictatorship began to take shape under Putin, Radio Liberty once again came into its own. It is now a key source of uncensored information about events in the Russian regions, which is important for all those wishing to see the war end as soon as possible, both living in Russia and elsewhere in the democratic world.

The projects Sever.Realii, Sibir.Realii, Azatlyk, Idel.Realii and Kavkaz.Realii, which are all outlets in the Russian regions that come under the RFE/RL umbrella, have been key to the survival of independent journalism in Russia and are exemplary in their professionalism. Our work at Novaya Gazeta Europe will become more difficult without Radio Liberty, and many Russians will lose access to important information about what is happening in their country, not to mention the millions of non-Russians around the world who will also be affected.

The value of that work is only too familiar to the Russian authorities, who have declared Radio Liberty and the Wilson Center undesirable organisations, which means any Russian who works with them faces criminal prosecution.

We call on journalists, editors and readers to stand in solidarity with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty as well as with any other outlets that now stand on the verge of closure.