On September 2, the outlet Meduza said it was on the verge of shutting down and asked readers for urgent support. In comments to Novaya Gazeta Europe, editor-in-chief Ivan Kolpakov said that without audience help there would be less independent reporting and information, and the newsroom could face more layoffs.
In its appeal to readers, the outlet linked the crisis to website blocking, criminal prosecution of journalists, and its designation as a “foreign agent” and an “undesirable organization.” It also cited a decline in international support: in 2025, Meduza said, conditions for independent media worsened sharply after the closure of USAID. At the same time, the outlet stressed that it had not depended directly on U.S. grants, but that the broader collapse of support infrastructure for the nonprofit sector affected it as well.
“We again, as in 2021, cut salaries for everyone, without exception. We laid off 15% of our staff... We turned ourselves inside out just to make it to autumn. But we do not know what to do next. We are running out of resources,” the editorial statement said.
According to the outlet, it is currently supported each month by 9,000 people. The newsroom says it can survive if that number rises to at least 15,000. Otherwise, Meduza says, the publication in its previous form will cease to exist.
Kolpakov described the situation as critical and said the newsroom has been subjected to a four-year “war of attrition.” In his words, 2025 has been especially difficult: the outlet had to cut spending and part with some staff members, which he called a very painful loss. At the same time, the newsroom is trying to develop new sources of income, including publishing and selling books.
He said the main projects have so far been preserved: the newsroom has repeatedly reorganized its work and reassigned duties so that readers would see no change. But some expenses, he noted, cannot be eliminated, including bypassing blocks and defending against DDoS attacks.
“Further cuts will mean that the old Meduza will simply no longer exist. We have exhausted all reserves,” Kolpakov said.
He added that if the fundraising effort fails, the result will be further staff reductions and less content. In his view, that would mean fewer news reports and less access to independent information for readers.