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| The Contemporary (Poslednye Novosti) | |
|---|---|
| Name | The Contemporary (Poslednye Novosti) |
| Type | Weekly newspaper |
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Founded | 1990 |
| Headquarters | Moscow |
| Language | Russian |
| Circulation | 50,000 (peak) |
The Contemporary (Poslednye Novosti) was a Russian-language weekly newspaper founded in the late Soviet period that positioned itself at the intersection of literary criticism, political commentary, and cultural reportage. Emerging amid the political transformations of the late 1980s and early 1990s, it became notable for publishing essays, reportage, and polemics by figures associated with Russian liberal intelligentsia, émigré communities, and dissident traditions. The paper's lifespan and editorial trajectory intersected with major events and personalities of post-Soviet Russia.
The Contemporary was established in 1990 during the era of perestroika and glasnost that followed policies associated with Mikhail Gorbachev, Perestroika, and the reformist wing of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Its founders included émigré journalists and domestic critics influenced by the dissident milieu linked to names such as Andrei Sakharov, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, and figures from the samizdat networks that later connected to publications like Novy Mir and Ogonyok. In the 1990s the paper navigated the collapse of the Soviet Union, the political volatility of the Russian Federation under Boris Yeltsin, and economic upheavals connected to privatization battles that involved actors such as Boris Berezovsky and Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s it published reportage on the First Chechen War and the Second Chechen War, offering commentary that referenced politicians including Vladimir Putin, Sergei Stepashin, and Yegor Gaidar. The Contemporary's editorial offices in Moscow served as a hub for contributors who also appeared in periodicals such as Izvestia, Kommersant, and The Moscow Times.
Editorial leadership included founders and editors drawn from the literary and political émigré circuits, some with prior affiliations to institutions like the Memorial (society), the Russian PEN Center, and universities such as Moscow State University. Among its contributors were journalists, poets, historians, and political scientists whose careers overlapped with figures like Anna Politkovskaya, Yevgenia Albats, Victor Shenderovich, Dmitry Bykov, and scholars associated with Harvard University, Columbia University, and University of Oxford visiting programs. The paper also published translations and commentary by émigré intellectuals connected to editorial projects in Paris, New York City, and Vilnius, with guest essays referencing cultural figures such as Dmitri Shostakovich, Anna Akhmatova, Boris Pasternak, and critics in the lineage of Isaiah Berlin. Regular contributors included commentators who had written for outlets like Le Monde diplomatique (Russian edition), The New York Review of Books, and magazines inspired by the tradition of The New Yorker long-form journalism.
The Contemporary articulated a broadly liberal, pro-pluralist editorial line that invoked the legacies of Venice Commission-style constitutionalism and European human-rights frameworks exemplified by European Court of Human Rights jurisprudence and activists linked to Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Its editorials frequently debated policy toward NATO expansion, relations with United States, and regional conflicts involving Ukraine and Georgia, discussing treaties and agreements such as the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances and the Minsk Agreements. The paper maintained an emphasis on civil liberties, independence of the judiciary, and press freedom, aligning intellectually with NGOs like Transparency International and networks of scholars associated with Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Chatham House. At times its stance provoked criticism from nationalist publications and politicians associated with United Russia and conservative media figures.
Issued as a weekly broadsheet with periodic special issues devoted to literature, history, and investigative reporting, The Contemporary combined long-form essays, serialized novels, cultural reviews, and political commentary. Its distribution network relied on subscriptions, newsstand sales in urban centers such as Saint Petersburg, Novosibirsk, and Yekaterinburg, and later on digital editions hosted on platforms comparable to LiveJournal blogs and early versions of Facebook pages used by Russian media. The paper experimented with bilingual supplements and partnerships with foreign publishers in London, Berlin, and Vienna to reach diaspora readers in cities like Tel Aviv and Toronto. Financially it navigated shifts from private patronage linked to oligarchs, philanthropic grants from foundations like Open Society Foundations, and later, pressures on independent media financing in the 2010s.
The Contemporary influenced debates among the Russian intelligentsia and diaspora by publishing investigative pieces that were cited by international media outlets including The Guardian, The New York Times, and Der Spiegel. Academics and policy analysts at institutions such as Stanford University, London School of Economics, and Yale University referenced its reportage in studies on post-Soviet transitions, Russian nationalism, and media freedom. Cultural critics compared its literary supplements to predecessors like Sovremennik and Znamya, while activists and legal scholars cited its coverage in cases brought before bodies such as the European Court of Human Rights and panels convened by the Council of Europe.
Over its run the paper faced lawsuits, libel claims, and administrative actions tied to contentious reporting on security services, oligarchs, and political scandals involving individuals like Anatoly Chubais and Igor Sechin, as well as coverage of defector cases and intelligence controversies connected to agencies comparable to the FSB. It was subject to taxation disputes and licensing challenges during regulatory shifts under officials associated with legal reforms and agencies in Moscow Oblast, provoking debates about press freedom and legal protections for journalists championed by organizations such as the Committee to Protect Journalists and the International Press Institute. Some contributors faced personal reprisals, exile, or professional blacklisting that echoed broader trends affecting Russian independent media in the early 21st century.
Category:Russian newspapers