<!-- NOTE: This is a red link at present, but given the similarity with the NEWSru.com site it appears to be important to distinguish the two sites. -->
NEWSru.com was a Russian independent online news site based in Moscow that was generally critical of the Russian government. Launched by Russian internet pioneer Anton Nossik in 2000, it closed in 2021 after experiencing difficulties attracting advertisers due to the site's editorial positions. The Israeli sister service Newsru.co.il remains operational
History
thumb|Empty office of NEWSru.com
NEWSru launched by Russian internet pioneer Anton Nossik on August, 28, 2000, with the domain name ntu.ru
In 2002, the state-run OAO Gazprom Media took over NTV, and NEWSru remained part of the media empire of former NTV owner and oligarch Vladimir Gusinsky. The takeover was seen as a turning point in media freedom in post-Soviet Russia.
The site primarily operated as a news aggregator.
In May 2021, the site announced it would close for "economic reasons" due to a difficulty with attracting advertisers because the site did not follow the editorial line of pro-Kremlin state media.
Headquarters and team
NEWSru was based in Moscow, but its editorial team and location were kept secret. The network had two foreign editions: a website in Israel started in December 2005 (newsru.co.il), and a Ukrainian edition based in Kyiv, which was discontinued in March 2017.
Chief editor Olga Leni admitted that the Ukrainian publication had been subsidized for the entire 10 years of its existence, and the site had never been self-supporting. Other former employees agreed that the site was closed due to a pro-Ukrainian pronouncement on the conflict in Donbas.