During perestroika, its liberal political stance - and its role as "the bridge between the USSR and the Western world" - gained Moskovskiye Novosti widespread popularity.

The Moscow city authorities were in March 2014 negotiating to buy the paper for an undisclosed sum from RIA Novosti, which was being broken up by Rossiya Segodnya, a media group created in December 2013 by presidential decree.

The paper would help extend the authorities' reach when publicising its policies by complementing the weekly Argumenty i Fakty, which city hall had acquired by agreeing to take over responsibility for its liabilities, sources told the Moscow Times.

Lenta's sources said the committee charged with liquidating RIA Novosti, which December 2013's presidential decree had merged into the new Rossiya Segodnya media group, did not think that paying for the paper's production was 'appropriate'.

[4] In farewell postings dated 24 April 2014 on the paper's vKontakte page, its staff told readers: 'Everyone knows who's to blame, we know what to do...We're sorry to say goodbye to you indefinitely.