Officials order ‘Novaya Gazeta’ to delete article on COVID-19 in Chechnya following Kadyrov’s threats to have the author attacked

The major Russian investigative newspaper Novaya Gazeta has deleted an article that described a chaotic and harsh COVID-19 response in Chechnya. An archived version of the article can still be found in Russian here.

The newspaper complied with an order from the national media and censorship agency Roskomnadzor to have the article removed within 24 hours. Roskomnadzor, in turn, was asked to address the piece with Novaya Gazeta by Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office. Prosecutors believe the article included “inaccurate information” that posed a threat to public safety. They did not specify what that information might be.

Yelena Milashina, the journalist who wrote the article in question, previously faced threats from Chechen political leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who hinted overtly that he has considered organizing a physical attack on the reporter.