Novaya Gazeta, one of Russia’s few remaining independent news outlets, was stripped of its media licence on Monday, and in effect banned from operating.

The country’s media watchdog, Rozkomnadzor, had accused it of failing to provide documents related to a change of ownership in 2006.

Speaking outside court, editor in chief Dmitry Muratov, a Nobel Peace laureate for his efforts to uphold critical news reporting in Russia, said the ruling was “a political hit job, without the slightest legal basis.” He said the paper would appeal.

In a statement, Novaya Gazeta said the decision by Moscow’s Basmanny District Court, which often handles politically charged