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.

NEWSru launched by Russian internet pioneer Anton Nossik on August, 28, 2000, with the domain name ntu.ru[1][2] Yelena Bereznitskaya-Bruni replaced the initial Editor in Chief Igor Barchugov in 2001.

[2] In 2009, Russian journalist Maria Yulikova described NEWSru as one of the leading independent news sources in Russia.

[1] Editor-in-Chief Yelena Bereznitskaya said "In the current situation, we realized that we won’t find funding in the near future for what we love and know how to do — objective news."

[9][10] 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.