Content
Official position/functions regarding the conflict
Novaya Gazeta (hereinafter – NG) is the largest print publication that can be called “independent” in terms of freedom of speech. It was created in 1993 after a split in the editorial board of Komsomolskaya Pravda. A controlling stake belongs to the editorial team, minority shareholders are Mikhail Gorbachev and businessman Alexander Lebedev. This is the fact that the co-owners are independent of the state that predetermines the newspaper’s relatively reporting policy. Nevertheless, it is often reprimanded for her lack of an impartial view and “partisanship.”
NG consistently and harshly criticizes Russia’s actions in Donbas, thoroughly and independently covers the military, as well as the social and humanitarian situation in the conflict region, conducts bright and high-profile journalistic investigations.
Interests/goals in the conflict region
The interests of the outlet include the most objective coverage of the conflict and the humanitarian situation in Donbas, as well as the establishment of the truth about the causes and perpetrators of military actions.
Actions regarding the conflict region
In May 2014, NG journalist Pavel Kanygin, covering the development of the conflict and the so-called “referendum on the independence of Donbas,” was kidnapped by the separatists, who demanded a ransom for him in the amount of $30,000 US dollars. He was tortured and released for ransom. In June 2015, during a business trip to Donbas, Kanygin was again detained and beaten by representatives of the “DPR” state security members.