After months of government pressure, the Saratov-based media project Svobodnye Novosti (“Free News”) announced last week that it had shut down. “Saying goodbye is incredibly difficult and painful. We lasted almost 13 years. For an independent media outlet in Russia, that's a long time. Thank you for being with us. Thank you to everyone who entrusted us with their stories and their time to read, watch, comment, and share,” the outlet wrote in a farewell message on social media.